By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter
CHEHALIS – A Winlock woman has been granted a domestic violence protection order against Lewis County Sheriff Steve Mansfield’s son, alleging in court that 20-year-old John C. Mansfield shoved her in a downtown Winlock beauty salon and other instances of assault.
The younger Mansfield appeared in a Chehalis courtroom yesterday where a visiting commissioner for Lewis County Superior Court left in place the order prohibiting him from contacting her or coming near her.
Kaitlyn M. Larson, 18, sought and secured a temporary court order on April 21, following an incident three weeks earlier in Winlock.
The pair have a 2-year-old child together.
John Mansfield was accompanied by Chehalis attorney Jennifer Johnson yesterday who told Court Commissioner Pro-Tem Richard Adamson there was no substantiation for the allegations made by Larson.
The entire Lewis County judiciary has recused themselves from the case because it involves the elected sheriff’s son.
Commissioner Adamson reversed the portion of the temporary order which had prohibited John Mansfield from contact with the child.
Yesterday was John Mansfield’s opportunity to dispute the conditions of the order, but Larson’s’ newly-hired attorney asked to postpone the hearing so she could prepare.
Olympia attorney Jennifer Smith – Larson’s lawyer – and Johnson both said after the hearing they had no comment on the case.
“I still maintain I have no comment, and we’re going to move forward in the best interests of the child,” Smith said.
Larson, who lives in Winlock, wrote in her April 21 request that John Mansfield has in the past left bruises on her and nearly broken her ribs, none of which she received medical attention for.
There was no indication in her filing he was ever arrested.
Sheriff Mansfield has said he has no comment on the situation.
“It doesn’t have anything to do with me or my wife,” Mansfield said the day after the petition was filed.
“If he’d have done those things, he’d have gone to jail,” Mansfield said.
Larson wrote that she called 911 on March 30 after John Mansfield came into McKenzie’s salon and took her son out of her friend’s arms “very forcefully”.
When she told him he couldn’t take the child, he shoved her and they argued, she wrote.
John Mansfield took the toddler out to his own mother while he came back inside to get a blanket, yelled at the hair dresser and then left, she wrote.
Larson, John Mansfield and their baby were swept into the news two years ago when the state Attorney General’s office was asked to look into a complaint that Sheriff Mansfield improperly handled a runaway report the parents of the then-16-year-old Larson attempted to file with the sheriff’s office.
Larson was at a residence on the Mansfield’s property, and was not picked up and returned home.
The Attorney General’s office review, dated Nov. 18, 2009, blamed a lapse of three days in entering the girl’s name into the relevant computer databases for runaways on Mansfield personally and on Mansfield’s decision not to ask an outside agency to handle the case; but declined to file any charge against the sheriff.
Among the instances from the past Larson cites in her April 21 handwritten request for the protection order:
John Mansfield once shoved her trying to get her phone; shoved her to the ground and sat on top of her.
One night, when she refused to give him her phone, “he shoved me off the bed, I hit my head on the ceiling and could barely breathe.”
He followed her and her boyfriend from Centralia to Adna, calling her and threatening her. “He constantly texts me even after I repeatedly asked him to stop.”
“One time John held me against the wall with his (undecipherable) gun and hit me in the face, giving me a black eye …”
Larson filed a proposed parenting plant with the court, asking that the child reside with her.
A hearing is set for June 1, when the visiting court commissioner returns, for John Mansfield to respond to the conditions currently in place in the protection order.
Tags: By Sharyn L. Decker, news reporter
Our sheriff also thinks hes a fedral marshall. So yes control freak. He wont let a medical marijuana dispensary operate here? Where there is no jobs or real industry. This would create jobs! Not to mention the tax dollars generated by letting one operate. Its the county and state law he should worry about. Not fedral laws. Looks like he should worry about his family too!
yah and the son should have been put in jail again another cover up for lewis county sheriffs!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Sometimes, those in law enforcement (and those related to heavy hitters in law enforcement) get special treatment by others on the force not wanting to believe the worst, not wanting to embarrass their cowoker… etc. I believe this incident is newsworthy in light of a prior incident involving the current sheriff, as well as the current sheriff’s notoriety as a control freak and having anger problems.
Alan R. – I do believe all 4th degree assault cases do make the news, one way or another, though without a news article attached, as you pointed out.
But this couple have a history that involves an elected official and a potential cover-up. If the father/young man in this case IS violent, it is possible the mother/young woman was not ABLE to tell the truth two years ago. In that way, this article is relevant.
Once again, we see the fine cover up continuing in the good ole L.C. Sheriff office. This Stinks just like before…..nothing ever changes no matter how dirty they are! Used to be, when your fam. was embarrassed in the limelight…..you quietly faded out of the picture. Maybe our high horse Sheriff needs to ride off into the sunset!
By the way…this story is very news worthy considering the type of “law enforcement” that occurs in lewis county.
I wonder about the parenting plan. I would like a follow-up story on this. As well as any reprints reguarding any mansfield just to inform myself. Thanks.
WOW Lewis County reporting has hit another LOW LOW LOW!
I gave up the Chronicle a long time ago as they continued to print lies and use their “media power” to print things that they shouldn’t. I was so dissapointed in the Chronicle when they no longer had Sharyn Decker working for them. Her articles were strong, honest, and written with integrity. She in my opinion was a real reporter who seemed to care about her articles, the ones involved in her articles, and her targeted readers. I was extremely pleased when Lewis County Sirens came into play as I could skip the B.S. and read important articles that (again in my opinion) were full of integrity and honesty and really had real NEWS to share with me.
I have pondered this for the last couple days and decided that I would share my opinion. THIS JUST DISGUSTS ME AND IS SO WRONG ON ALL LEVELS! This article (along with the one I saw in the Chronicle today while at the Dr. Office) are RIDICULOUS!!! It makes me sick to read this B.S. especially from someone that I thought would never lower their standards to that of the Chronicle.
Let me ask you this…If this was you and your spouse or this was me and my spouse, do you think for any reason whatsoever a news article would be written about it!?!?!? ABSOLUTLY NOT! And what news media and/or reporter was a slime bag enough to go to the LC Courthouse during these young adults meeting and sit there to get the information that is being provided? Was it Sharyn Decker, The Chronicle, or maybe both? And of course I question if the information is even correct (Sharyn I used to never question you, but now I DO!). In my opinion the only flipping reason that this is being written about is because John Mansfield is related to Sheriff Steve Mansfield, which has NOTHING TO DO WITH THESE 2 YOUNG ADULTS AND THEIR PROBLEMS AT ALL!!!! WHATSOEVER!!
Another funny thing is that anyone can go and get a protective order, and they don’t make a news headline. I could go right now and tell a judge that Sharyn Decker, the editor at the Chronicle, Steve Mansfield or Joe Blow assulted me or threatened me. At that time an order would be put into play without the accused having any chance to even defend themselves of being falsly accused. That is the way it works. Its a good system for those who are actually being threatened or assulted. But for those who are not…it sucks! And then to have these people’s names plastered all over the papers over and over again…IT GETS OLD REAL FAST! And I wonder if anyone thinks how maybe it hurts the two parties involved. Maybe it doesn’t, but it might.
I guess I just can’t expect anything less from the reporters in Lewis County and the citizens that feed into this B.S.! Maybe I myself will take a trip to the LC Courthouse on June 1st and listen in on all the gossip! This is such an important topic that we should continue to share with the citizens. Maybe Mansfield did assult this poor young lady…or maybe she is immature and angry and has accused him falsly. Whatever the outcome I will take time out of my day to be there and find out! HAHAHA
It is really obvious what is going on here, and if reporters want to pick on any elected official (in this case Mansfield), then do it. But by all means have something to write about that isn’t like something read in a tabloid.
Would love to hear some other opinions:)
Alan R.
Dear Sharyn Decker,
First off I want to let you know that I used to think that you stood above the Lewis County Chronicle and other news reporters. I want you to know that I honestly believed you had more integrity than any other reporter that I have met or articles I have read. I enjoyed reading your articles, until Tuesday.
I actually stuck up for you when I heard others say you were “a bad reporter.” By word of mouth I advertised your new site LCS. Why would you stoop yourself to this level? What kind of story is this and were you hoping to gain something from it? People are laughing, do yourself a favor and be a real reporter with integrity and clean your reporting up!
Sincerly,
Alan R.