Woman pleads not guilty to biting infant
Tia Brown, of Pullman, accused of biting young boy while babysitting
A Pullman woman who was accused of biting her infant nephew pleaded not guilty.
Tia Brown, 19, made an appearance in Whitman County Superior Court on Friday morning. She was charged with second-degree assault of a child. Superior Court Judge Gary Libey said the felony charge could be punishable by up to 10 years in prison.
Officers responded to a Pullman residence Dec. 27 following a reported domestic dispute. Brown had been babysitting her nephew and the family noticed a rash on their infant son, according to court documents.
Officers inspected the rash and found a bite mark on his left arm. The child was transported to a hospital to assess injuries.
Hospital staff found additional bite marks on his left cheek, right shoulder, elbow, armpit and the back of his head. They also found an abrasion on his lower back and bruising on his forehead, according to court documents.
Initially, officers thought the bites had been made by the nephew’s older sister, but she’d been missing two front teeth and the marks showed a full set. Officers took impressions of the family members’ mouths, and Brown’s were the most similar to the marks left on the child, according to court documents.
Officers asked the family if Brown has a history of biting people, and they said she allegedly bites when she’s drunk. The mother showed officers a scar of an old bite mark allegedly made by Brown, according to court documents.
When questioning Brown, officers asked if she had bitten anyone before. She told police she was “done talking,” and later said she couldn’t remember biting the child.
Brown was arrested and agreed to take a blood alcohol test, which allegedly showed her being double the legal limit.
In court, Libey reduced her bail by half to $500 cash or $5,000 surety. A protection order was put in place between her and the family, and she was ordered not to be around children 12 or younger without supervision.
She will appear in court again later this month.
Pearce can be reached at epearce@dnews.com
