RICHMOND IN — A young Richmond woman has been accused of battering her boyfriend’s 5-year-old daughter.
Anna Hobbs, 19, was charged on Friday, May 8, in Wayne Superior Court 2, with domestic battery resulting in bodily injury to a person under the age of 14 and neglect of a dependent. Both charges are Level 5 felonies carrying up to six years in prison.
According to an affidavit, the child’s mother noticed injuries, including a “slightly black left eye,” bruises on her arms and various scratches, when her daughter returned from a visit to her father’s home on April 24.
Hobbs as a juvenile lived with the girl’s parents, and since the couple’s separation last year has dated the father, the court document said.
Richmond police said Hobbs at first suggested the child’s black eye was the result of the girl striking herself or might have been caused by the child’s “roughhousing” with her younger sister.
Hobbs later acknowledged during a disagreement she had told the girl to stay in a room, and when she opened the door because of the child’s continued crying and yelling, it struck the girl in the face, the court document said.
Police said the Richmond woman also acknowledged having grabbed the girl’s face. She denied the child’s claim that she had choked her, suggesting she had been coached to make allegations against her.
The child had told investigators that “Anna did this to my eye” and said Hobbs was angry with her “because she did not listen (and) because she did not want to sleep in her room,” the affidavit said.
A warrant was issued for Hobbs’ arrest on Monday, setting her bond at $17,500.
Court records reflect no prior charges against Hobbs.
Douglas Walker is a news reporter for The Star Press. Contact him at 765-213-5851 or at dwalker@muncie.gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Muncie Star Press: Richmond teen accused of battering boyfriend’s child
Reporting by Douglas Walker, Richmond Palladium-Item / Muncie Star Press
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