A 25-year-old Centralia man is facing felony assault charges in Lewis County Superior Court for allegedly beating two 14-month-old children in his care.
The childrens’ mother reported the suspect, identified in court documents as Brandyn Thomas Eberle, “has been throwing the kids onto the bed, making threats toward them, and hitting them over the last five months,” according to court documents. The mother reportedly took videos of abuse that occurred on Oct. 6 and filed a report with Child Protective Services (CPS).
When referring the case to the Centralia Police Department, a CPS representative reported the videos “contained concerning images,” according to court documents. A CPS case worker took photos of the children’s injuries, which included “bruising on their buttocks.”
When questioned by a Centralia police detective, Eberle allegedly “stated he had only patted (the children) on the butt,” according to court documents. The detective later “confronted Eberle with the video evidence,” and Eberle allegedly asked the detective “if he could prove it was him in the video.”
The detective then reportedly “asked Eberle if he would like someone to do what he was doing to the children to him,” to which Eberle allegedly “responded by saying ‘no.’”
Eberle was arrested and booked into the Lewis County Jail at 12:50 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 10, according to jail records. He was charged Wednesday with two counts of domestic violence third-degree assault of a child, which is a class C felony punishable by up to five years in prison.
“The allegations in this case are very concerning with the victims being very, very young minor children,” Deputy Prosecutor Joe Bassetti said during Eberle’s preliminary hearing in Lewis County Superior Court on Wednesday, where he asked for bail to be set at $25,000.
Defense attorney Rachael Tiller asked Judge Joely Yeager to release Eberle on unsecured bail due to Eberle’s lack of criminal history and the fact that standard release conditions would prohibit Eberle from having any contact with the victims or their mother.
“That should allay any safety concerns,” Tiller said Wednesday.
Ultimately, Yeager granted Bassetti’s request for $25,000 bail.
“The allegations here are of the very serious nature. These are also very serious charges,” Yeager said Wednesday, adding that the allegations of ongoing abuse were concerning to her. “I think the state’s request is absolutely warranted here to protect community safety, especially the safety of these young children,” she said.
Yeager approved no-contact orders protecting the two children on Wednesday. She also approved a release condition prohibiting Eberle from having any contact with children until his case is resolved.
Arraignment is scheduled for Thursday, Oct. 19.
