WICHITA COUNTY (KFDX/KJTL) — Several unusual crimes that have taken place in Wichita Falls have gained attention from major media outlets in the national spotlight.

Ever since a woman was found allegedly riding an electric cart while drinking wine from a Pringles can in 2019, Wichita Falls has seen several similar crime stories go viral.

Below is a list of the crime stories from Wichita Falls and the surrounding areas in 2022 that gained the largest amount of pageviews from our readers. Several gained national media attention and went viral after being shared by other Nexstar affiliate websites.

The crimes are listed in no particular order.

AUTHOR’S NOTE: Many of the cases listed below involve charges that are still pending and have not yet been adjudicated in a court of law. All of the accused are assumed to be innocent until proven guilty. Information contained in the stories below was gathered directly from law enforcement officials and arrest affidavits unless otherwise noted within the story.

Home health aide pleads to theft using client’s debit card

Photo Credit: Wichita County Jail

A former Wichita Falls home health aide pleaded guilty to stealing over $1,700 from an elderly and homebound client in July 2022.

Shaniqua Edwards-Stevens was arrested in October 2021 after police said she used CashApp and the woman’s debit card to steal the money.

Edwards-Stevens claimed the client had authorized her to withdraw money to do her laundry.

This was the top crime story on Texoma’s Homepage in 2022 according to pageviews.

Woman driving drunk with pants down enters plea

Photo Credit: Wichita County Jail

A Wichita Falls mother who police said was driving around the Walmart parking lot intoxicated with her pants down and the kids in the car in May 2020 was sentenced in April 2022 to three years of probation.

Tamika Brianne Garrett, 32, pleaded guilty to driving while intoxicated with a child under 15 years of age in the car. 

Police said Garrett was supposed to plead in October 2021 but did not show up and was arrested in early April 2022.

4-year-old allegedly slammed to ground by mom at Target

Photo Credit: Wichita County Jail

A Wichita Falls woman with previous arrests and convictions for child endangerment has a new case filed after police arrested her for alleged child abuse of her four-year-old child outside the Target store in February 2022.

Police said they were called about a disturbance and a woman that had thrown her daughter to the ground, who was now in her vehicle.

The woman, later identified as Amber Herring, said her daughter had been in her arms and when they got close to the car, she lost her footing and began to fall, dropping her child by accident.

Herring was again arrested in October 2022 for allegedly choking and injuring her teenage daughter.

McNiel Junior High teachers assaulted by students

Photo Credit: McNiel Junior High School parent

In April 2022, a video began circulating on social media showing an altercation between several students and two staff members at McNiel Junior High School.

According to a McNiel teacher that spoke with the KFDX/KJTL newsroom, the fight began between two female students and escalated after a teacher tried to break the fight up, and the girls’ boyfriends didn’t like the way that teacher was touching the students.

Walmart employee steals thousands in cash from registers

Photo Credit: KFDX/KJTL

A woman who was employed by Walmart for just four days in December 2021 was arrested after authorities said she stole over $6,000 in cash from registers.

Jordynn Malaya Barnard was arrested in August 2022.

Police said after stealing the money, she clocked out from work and never returned to Walmart.

Woman who smothered mother by sitting on her back in jail

Photo Credit: Wichita Falls Crime Stoppers

A woman awaiting trial for allegedly smothering her mother to death by sitting on her while praying is back in jail after a new arrest warrant is issued when she failed to show up for a court hearing in September 2022.

Gloria Jordan was booked into the Wichita County Jail on a charge of manslaughter on October 5, 2022.

Buckets of fecal matter left at Electra PD, woman charged

Electra Police Department Vehicle. Photo Credit: KFDX/KJTL

An Electra woman is facing charges of illegal dumping after police said she dropped off several buckets full of “what appeared to be human waste” at the police station.

An officer on duty at the time said when he asked the woman what she was doing, the woman stated that the buckets were “human [expletive]” and that she was dropping them off. The officer said the female then got in the vehicle and drove off.

This story gained national attention after it was picked up by TMZ.

Honey Butter Chicken Biscuit calorie check leads to arrest

Photo Credit: KFDX/KJTL

A Wichita Falls teen was arrested in April 2022 on drug and gun charges after authorities said they smelled something other than just fast food in the Whataburger drive-thru.

The affidavit said one investigator walked to the drive-thru menu to “check the calorie count of a Honey Butter Chicken Biscuit” because the lobby was closed when he smelled the strong odor of marijuana coming from a vehicle in the drive-thru.

This story went viral after over 100 Nexstar websites picked it up.

Daycare worker kicks 1-year-old in head, police say

Photo Credit: Wichita County Jail

Wichita Falls Police Department officers arrested a 20-year-old childcare worker after they said they reviewed security footage of the woman kicking a 1-year-old child in the head in May 2022.

Shortly after her initial arrest, Jazmine Jackson received two additional charges of injury to a child. Further investigation by authorities into Jackson lead to a total of four charges against her.

Former Hooters girl says OnlyFans could pay murder bond

Ashley Esselborn in court during bond reduction hearing. Photo Credit: KFDX/KJTL

One of four defendants indicted for the brutal murder of Zachary Wood earlier this year requested a lower bond despite her bond already being reduced to $100,000 from $1 million.

Ashley Esselborn, a former waitress at Hooters, said if her bond was further reduced to $50,000, she would be able to afford to post the bond with money she’d acquired from adult content she posted on the website OnlyFans.

This story gained national media attention after the New York Post and Fox News picked it up.

Mother of victims stabs man charged with indecency

Stabbing on Humphreys Street. Photo Credit: KFDX/KJTL

A man who was stabbed by his girlfriend after she said she found out he was exposing himself to her three young children is now charged with indecency with a child, while the mother faces charges of aggravated assault.

Charles Brown was arrested while working at a fast-food restaurant in December 2022.

Amanda Bolding, mother of Kaleb Honea, arrested for theft

Photo Credit: Wichita County Jail

A woman who lost her son in a tragic car wreck in 2020 was arrested in May 2022 after the business she worked for reported that they had been involved in online banking fraud.

According to the arrest affidavit, a report was made on February 3 by one of the co-owners of Fit Body Boot Camp, located at 4031 Sports Street, that an email scam had resulted in the loss of $9,609.83

Sam’s Club seafood thief indicted on multiple charges

Photo Credit: Wichita Falls Crime Stoppers

A 26-year-old Lawton woman was indicted in September 2022 for alleged thefts of thousands of dollars of seafood from Sam’s Club in Wichita Falls, as well as the exploitation of a child police said was her unwilling accomplice.

Police said about $8,000 worth of frozen and fresh seafood from Sam’s stores in Wichita Falls and Lawton in October 2021 and was accompanied by her 10-year-old niece.

Mom tells police, ‘just take my child… I’m a terrible parent’

Photo Credit: Wichita County Jail

A Wichita Falls mother left her 6-month-old baby alone with a man who appeared to be intoxicated in November 2022. He later admitted to being “friends with benefits” with the mother and said he did not know what to do with the baby.

Police said the mother, who also appeared intoxicated, admitted to leaving the baby on the couch while she and the man had sex.

When an officer told her CPS would be notified they said she told them “I’m no stranger to them, just take my child, ’cause I’m a terrible parent.”

Honorable mentions

Below are a few more of the most viewed crime stories on Texoma’s Homepage for 2022: