Falkville woman arrested for chemical endangerment after claiming abuse

Kayla Lauren Dudley, 29, was charged with three counts of chemical endangerment of a child and booked into Morgan County Jail on March 28 before being released on a $7,500 bond, according to the Morgan County Sheriff's Office.

Dudley has one daughter with a man she married last June named Greg Crittendon and a daughter and a son from a previous marriage. She said the oldest, her 6-year-old boy, is nonverbal and “was born with a lot of birth defects.”

A divorce complaint signed by Crittendon on Jan. 4 and filed in Morgan County Circuit Court indicates he’s seeking a divorce on the grounds of infidelity.

Dudley on Tuesday said the divorce was her idea. She claimed she arrived home in late December after working a 12-hour shift to find that her son’s diaper hadn’t been changed.

Four days after Crittendon’s divorce filing, deputies were dispatched to take a report from Dudley. According to an investigator’s affidavit, Dudley was told by one of her daughters that she witnessed Crittendon choking Dudley’s son.

“Dudley stated that she reported the incident to DHR, and a case had been opened for child abuse,” the affidavit reads. “During DHR’s investigation, all individuals underwent drug screens. Crittendon’s drug screen was negative. Dudley’s drug screen on Feb. 6 was positive for marijuana.”

All three of Dudley’s children also tested positive for marijuana, according to the affidavit, with one showing additional positive results for amphetamines and meth.

“I didn’t understand how that could happen,” Dudley said Tuesday.

She said she initially refused to participate in a hair screening due to her “spiritual beliefs” but eventually relented under pressure from the DHR case worker.

“Dudley admitted to smoking marijuana in the presence of her children,” the affidavit reads.

Dudley said she never admitted that to investigators.

“I would not admit it, because it’s not the truth,” she said. “I’m a back porch smoker.”

Dudley’s friend and former MCSO staff member, Eric Milam, said he was present when Dudley was interviewed by investigators and doesn’t recall her admitting to smoking in front of her children.

Crittendon was granted custody of their daughter on Jan. 8, according to Dudley.

“How did a judge allow any of these things to happen?” she said.

“My other two kids are with me. They’ve been with me the whole time. They’ve never left my side.”

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Harassment

An affidavit signed by a teacher — Crittendon’s aunt — at Cotaco School claims that Dudley came to the school on March 22 and flipped her off.

"Dudley came to Cotaco Elementary School where I am a teacher and gave me the middle finger all the way from the school to the parking lot," the affidavit reads. “Dudley sent my co-teacher a text telling her to inform me that she was on a witch hunt, and I was next on her list. Dudley has made a physical altercation before to me. I take this as a threat. I just want her to leave me alone.”

“Dudley got out of the car, walked her child all the way down the sidewalk to the other side of the school, where my sister was standing, and flipped her off in front of all the kids,” said Melissa Morrow, Crittendon’s mother.

The school’s principal could not be reached for comment Wednesday.

In fall 2019, amid contested divorce proceedings with her first husband, Kayla Dudley petitioned the court for a protection from abuse order against him.

“He forcefully grabbed my arm and used my hair to hit my head into the wall,” Kayla Dudley wrote. “He is angry that I have decided to get divorced and is abusive.”

A Morgan County judge threw out the petition in December 2019.

“The Court finds that the Plaintiff (Kayla Dudley) failed to present proof by preponderance of the evidence establishing that the Defendant committed a recent act of abuse and that a protection order is necessary to prevent further abuse,” the judge ruled.