COLFAX, Wash. – A Pullman woman will undergo mental health treatment as part of a sentencing alternative after biting her six-month-old nephew.
According to the Whitman County Prosecutor’s Office, 19-year-old Tia Brown was charged with second-degree assault of a child in January 2024. The report states that Brown was babysitting her nephew on December 28, 2023, when the child’s mother returned home to find the baby crying uncontrollably. Initially, the mother thought the baby had a rash on his face. However, a police investigation revealed that the baby had been bitten. The Pullman Police Department later confirmed that the bite marks were from Brown.
Brown pled guilty in June and was sentenced to a Mental Health Sentencing Alternative as permitted by Washington law. This sentence includes two years of monitoring by the Department of Corrections, mandatory mental health treatment and a restriction prohibiting her from being alone with children under 13 during this period.
If Brown violates these terms, she could face imprisonment for 31 to 41 months.
