Woman charged with assaulting child

EPHRATA — A 51-year-old woman is accused of beating her 9-year-old foster daughter with a broom handle.

Suzanna D. Danzer-Thompson, of Marlin, is charged with assault of a child in the second degree.

She allegedly pulled the girl down a flight of stairs, held her face to the floor and smacked her with a broom handle.

Wilson Creek school district officials contacted police when they noticed bruises on the girl, according to a Grant County sheriff’s report. The girl told police and Child Protective Services her foster mother was allegedly mad when the girl peed her pants in school the day before.

The girl had just returned home when Danzer-Thompson reportedly grabbed her by the hair, dragging her down a set of steps, and pushed her face into the ground. The woman allegedly walked away and got a broom, hitting her “a bunch of times,’ according to the police report.

The girl told officers she was scared to go home because she expected Danzer-Thompson to punish her for talking to police, according to the police report.

When police questioned Danzer-Thompson, she reportedly denied knowing about the bruises and denied striking the girl. She allegedly said the girl might have gotten them from falling down some stairs, but didn’t check if the girl was injured, according to the police report.

Most of the other foster children in the woman’s care allegedly told police Danzer-Thompson punished them using the extension cord on the vacuum cleaner. One denied any corporal punishment.