WATCH: Ashli Ford thumbs her nose at restrictions
Ignores pleas from Katelynn Shepard's family to 'please stop' exploiting their daughter
NORWALK — Ashli Ford read from news articles and police reports during a Facebook podcast earlier this month, claiming she’s been asked repeatedly to talk about her investigation into the 2018 death of Katelynn Shepard.
Ford said “shortly after I accepted this case but before I spoke about it I received a cease a desist letter from (deleted)’s high-powered attorney,” a man Ford is accusing of killing Katelyn.
Shepard’s mother also has repeatedly asked Ford to stop claiming to be working for Katelyn’s family and stop posting about her online.
“She has no right to hurt my family trying to make money by lying about what happened, by claiming to be helping my family,” Tricia Shepard said. “Last night, at Facebook, she posted a story about my daughter filled with gory details and false allegations.”
Ford didn’t break any new ground during her podcast and in several instances her timeline related to Katelynn’s death was incorrect, Tricia Shepard said. Other information Ford presented also was inaccurate, she said.
Ford’s been accused before of hindering investigations and exploiting crime victims to generate revenue at her Facebook page by providing lurid details of crimes and pushing family members to endorse her as their advocate or investigator. If they refuse, she turns on them. Prosecutors in the Amanda Dean homicide case contended last year that Ford exploited Amanda’s family that way.
Tricia Shepard said Ford’s behavior toward her family makes her physically sick. Tricia said she wants the sheriff or the probation department to “make her stop.”
“She claims to have new information about my daughter’s death,” Tricia observed in a frustrated tone. “If that’s true, wouldn’t you tell the family what the new information is?”
Net tightens
While Ford continues to broadcast to her misguided supporters, her “investigations” are increasingly clashing with the reality of her court-ordered supervision. Following her high-profile convictions on intimidation charges in May, Ford was sentenced to probation. The terms of her release carry strict requirements for “law-abiding behavior”—requirements that local families say she is flagrantly ignoring.
Complaints to Probation The Erie County Probation Department has been inundated with complaints regarding Ford’s recent activity. Sources confirm that the primary grievances being tracked by her probation officer include:
Victim Harassment: Tricia Shepard’s public plea is backed by a formal paper trail. Complaints allege that Ford is engaging in a pattern of harassment by repeatedly tagging, naming, and “investigating” a family that has explicitly and legally demanded she stop.
Violation of No-Contact Directives: A recurring theme in the reports to her probation officer is Ford’s habit of “poking” at individuals protected by cease-and-desist letters. By using her Facebook podcast to circumvent direct contact, she is accused of violating the spirit—if not the letter—of her supervision terms.
Monetizing Misinformation: Perhaps the most serious complaint involves Ford’s “revenue model.” Reports filed with the county allege that Ford is exploiting the Shepard tragedy to solicit donations and “stars” on Facebook under the false pretense of being a family-sanctioned advocate.
Pattern of ‘advocacy’
This is not new territory for Ford. Her history is one of “lurid advocacy,” where the details of a crime are used as bait for engagement. She claims to be representing the family of a child rape victim and has shared photos of the child badly beaten and some from her school, clearly identifying the girl. She’s been accused of “hindering” actual law enforcement investigations by poisoning the well of public opinion and providing families with false hope based on unverified “intel.”
For Tricia Shepard, the legal technicalities matter less than the daily reality of Ford’s posts. The “physically sick” feeling Shepard describes is shared by others in Norwalk who have seen their personal tragedies turned into content for a Facebook podcast.
The question now rests with the court: At what point does a “podcast” cross the line from free speech into a violation of probation? For the families in her crosshairs, that line was crossed years ago.
Editor’s note: StayTunedSandusky filed a complaint with the probation department against Ford alerting officials that Ford has filed false criminal complaints with the county sheriff’s office against Matt Westerhold.