A Chehalis woman is facing a felony child assault charge after Chehalis School District staff reported a child abuse complaint last week.
A counselor at a Chehalis elementary school reported “concern for the welfare of a child at school due to the child coming to school covered in feces, bruising on his bottom and some eye scratches” on Thursday, Feb. 15, according to charging documents filed in Lewis County Superior Court.
The Chehalis Police Department documented the child’s injuries and conducted an investigation.
An officer interviewed one of the child’s guardians, a 39-year-old Chehalis woman, on Friday, Feb. 16. During the interview, the woman allegedly said she “went to smack the child in the mouth, but he turned his head, and she accidentally struck him in the side of the face” a few days prior after the child insulted her, according to court documents.
The Chronicle isn’t identifying the woman in order to protect the identity of the victim.
The woman also allegedly admitted to hitting the child’s bottom, saying “she used an open hand on him and didn’t mean to leave a mark like that.”
Court documents indicate Child Protective Services (CPS) conducted an investigation into the child’s home on Feb. 9, but no physical injuries were documented at the time.
CPS placed the child and three other children in the home into protective custody at the time of the woman’s arrest on Feb. 16, according to court documents. She was charged with one count of third-degree assault of a child, domestic violence, on Tuesday, Feb. 20.
While the state asked for $50,000 bail on Feb. 20 due to community safety risk, Judge Joely Yeager opted to set the woman’s bail at $25,000, noting the community safety threat is “significantly reduced” with the children in protective custody.
A no-contact order protecting the victim is in place. The woman’s conditions of release also include a provision preventing her from having any contact with children while the case is active.
Arraignment is scheduled for Thursday, Feb. 29.
