The Washington state Secretary of Health has entered an agreement with a Lewis County nursing assistant convicted of third-degree assault of a child in November 2024 that allows her to regain her credentials following a two-year suspension.
Nicole Rose Christie, 30, was charged Oct. 28 in Lewis County Superior Court with one count of second-degree assault of a child, domestic violence, for spanking a 4-year-old boy in her care with a plastic ladle in Chehalis, according to previous Chronicle reporting.
The incident itself was reported by the victim’s stepmother to Child Protective Services on Oct. 21, according to previous Chronicle reporting.
Child Protective Services referred the case to the Chehalis Police Department on Oct. 22. In the referral, a Child Protective Services agent “reported the bruises to be the size of softballs on both (bottom) cheeks,” according to court documents.
When questioned by an officer on Oct. 25, Christie reportedly “confirmed that she had spanked (the victim) with a ladle and provided (the officer) with the ladle that was used,” according to court documents.
Christie pleaded guilty to the amended charge of third-degree assault of a child, domestic violence, on Nov. 1.
“I, with criminal negligence, caused bodily injury to (the victim) when I spanked him with a spoon … the injury caused substantial pain that lasted long enough to cause considerable suffering,” Christie stated in a written guilty plea filed in Lewis County Superior Court on Nov. 1.
Due to her lack of criminal history, the standard sentencing range for this conviction was one to three months in jail, according to court documents.
A judge sentenced Christie to the maximum allotted by the standard sentencing range, three months, on Nov. 1. Her sentence was followed by 12 months in community custody. A no-contact order in favor of the victim is in place.
Christie worked for Dungarvin Supported Living in Olympia from 2021 through 2024 and was still working there at the time she was arrested on Oct. 25, 2024, in Lewis County, according to the state Department of Health.
Christie’s nursing assistant credential was still active at the time of her release from prison. It is set to expire May 25, 2025, according to a state Department of Health database.
The state Nursing Assistant Program, on designation by the secretary of health, filed a statement of charges against Christie on Feb. 13, 2025, alleging that Christie’s conviction constitutes unprofessional conduct and is a violation of the standards for nursing assistant conduct, establishing grounds for disciplinary action.
Christie and the state Secretary of Health entered a formal agreement on disciplinary action in March.
As part of the agreed conditions, Christie’s registered nursing assistant license will be suspended for 48 months, at the end of which Christie can petition for reinstatement. Before she can petition, Christie must pay a $500 fine, complete six hours of anger management training and abide by all conditions required by her Lewis County Superior Court conviction.
The legal documents on this case can be seen online by clicking the link on provider credential search on the state Department of Health’s website at https://doh.wa.gov/. Copies can be requested by calling 360-236-4700.
