By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter
CHEHALIS – The mother of the 4-year-old Winlock boy whose bruises and wounds led to child assault charges for her live-in boyfriend in December was arrested yesterday, just hours after the boyfriend pleaded guilty to reduced charges.
Heather L. McNurlin, 23, was charged in Lewis County Superior Court today with third-degree assault of a child, as an accomplice.
Lewis County Deputy Prosecutor Joely O’Rourke said McNurlin was present when the abuse was inflicted, and some of it was even her idea. She wasn’t charged earlier, because she was a witness for her boyfriend’s case, O’Rourke said.
The Lewis County Sheriff’s Office investigation began when the child was brought by his grandmother to the hospital emergency room to be looked at on Nov. 30. Among the boy’s various injuries were bruises on the outsides of his legs he said he got from “knife hand” spankings because he broke house rules by stealing food.
The mother said she and 31-year-old Ryon T. Connery had been in a dating relationship about four months. The little boy was taken out of the home McNurlin and Connery shared and placed with his grandmother.
Charging documents in McNurlin’s case allege Connery had her permission to punish her child by ordering him, for example, to do “wall sits” for approximately five minutes, sometimes with a weighted bag over his head. In one instance when the boy took bread without permission and also wet his pants, he was taken outside and hosed off with cold water, at night, according to the allegations.
McNurlin explained to a detective her son was on a very strict diet of only fruits and vegetables, the documents state.
The couple attend marital arts classes in Longview, and when queried by a detective, the instructor – a 20-year practitioner of martial arts – said he could not hold a wall sit for more than one minute.
When the boy was brought to the hospital, he had a broken finger he said occurred when he dropped a weight on it, a scraped nose he said was from falling on his face trying to get away from a spanking and he spoke of being dunked in a dirty outdoor pool, according to charging documents.
A doctor who reviewed the case opined the child was malnourished and was the victim of starvation as well as abuse, both mentally and physically, according to the documents.
Connery was initially charged with two charges of second-degree child assault, but O’Rourke told a judge yesterday the evidence didn’t include intention on Connery’s part, so she and defense attorney David Arcuri agreed to one count of third-degree child assault.
Judge Richard Brosey accepted Connery’s guilty plea during the short hearing yesterday morning.
The lawyers said they both will recommend 16 months of incarceration when Connery is sentenced next month.
This afternoon, when McNurlin was brought before Judge Brosey, O’Rourke and defense attorney Bob Schroeter both said McNurlin is working very hard at her parenting classes as required in the dependency action which is underway.
McNurlin’s bail was set at a $5,000 unsecured bond and the judge said she may only have contact with her son as allowed by the court in the separate civil action.
Her arraignment is scheduled for Feb. 1 with a court-appointed attorney.
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For background, read “Child assault charged in case of 4-year-old Winlock boy” from Thursday December 5, 2013, here
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