A 39-year-old Centralia man is facing felony charges for allegedly spanking a 2-year-old boy in his care in July 2023 and a 2-year-old girl in his care in April 2022 to the point of bruising.
The man, who is in custody at the Lewis County Jail on $100,000 bail, was arrested following an investigation by the Centralia Police Department. The investigation began in July after day care staff noticed significant bruising on the 2-year-old boy and reported it to Child Protective Services (CPS), according to court documents.
CPS has since taken custody of the 2-year-old boy, who was being cared for by a family member as of Friday. The girl, who is now 3 years old, is no longer in the defendant’s custody, the court has confirmed.
Detectives learned of the alleged April 2022 incident involving the girl while investigating the July 2023 incident, according to court documents.
The incident was reported to the Centralia Police Department in April of 2022, but “the officer assigned had left the department and it did not appear additional followup had occurred,” according to court documents.
A “CPS case was said to have been opened, but nothing resulted from it,” according to the documents.
Law enforcement interviewed the defendant several times throughout the investigation. When questioned about what caused the 2-year-old boy’s injuries, the defendant reportedly offered “different explanations,” including, “he falls a lot,” “a play set,” and “he was in perfect health and the marks on his body were ‘Mongolian marks,’” according to court documents.
“He seemed quick to suggest other avenues of injury or that the day care could be the cause,” a detective noted.
The defendant reportedly denied ever physically disciplining his children, but later allegedly amended his statement, saying “what he meant to say was he doesn’t spank them anymore.”
Medical personnel have reportedly confirmed the 2-year-old boy’s injuries “were consistent with being inflicted by injuries by an adult hand or object” and were “indicative of inflicted, non-accidental trauma,” according to court documents.
In a doctor’s report from the April 2022 incident involving the 2-year-old girl, a physician reportedly “described the bruising as being consistent with the reported spank,” according to court documents.
The defendant has been charged in Lewis County Superior Court with two counts of third-degree assault of a child, domestic violence. Each charge carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison.
Should he post bail, the defendant’s conditions of release include a provision that he have no contact with any minors. The court has entered no-contact orders protecting the two alleged victims.
Arraignment is scheduled for Thursday, Aug. 10.
The Chronicle is not naming the suspect in an effort to protect the identities of the children involved.
