Ephrata woman sentenced in hot oil assault

EPHRATA — A Ephrata woman who threw a pot of hot cooking oil onto another woman, causing burns to 20-30 percent of the victim’s body, was sentenced to serve two months in jail for the attack.

Aldercy Brooks, 24, of Ephrata, pleaded guilty to third-degree assault and was sentenced to a total of two months in jail, with credit for time served. Brooks was initially charged with first-degree assault, but the charge was amended in a plea agreement between the prosecution and defense.

On Sept. 1 Ephrata police received a report of an incident in the 1200 block of A Street Southeast. When officers arrived they learned the female victim in the incident had had a pot of hot oil thrown onto her by Brooks. Brooks and her husband, who aided the victim by helping her into the shower after the incident, left the residence before officers arrived. The homeowner told police he was in the backyard with the victim and saw “something splash” onto the woman as she opened the back door to the home.

“(The witness) said after seeing the splash, he observed (the victim) slip and fall onto the ground of the kitchen floor,” wrote an officer.

The woman sustained burns to 20-30 percent of her body and hospital staff informed police the burns were “likely to cause permanent disfigurement” to the woman’s hips, legs and abdomen. The victim was initially transported to Columbia Basin Hospital in Ephrata, but was later transferred to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle. Staff at Columbia Basin Hospital reported there was a high possibility of the woman’s wounds becoming seriously infected.

The victim reportedly told nursing staff “she knew” Brooks threw the oil on her on purpose. Officers learned Brooks’ husband dropped her off at her parents’ home in the 500 block of D Street Southeast in Quincy and she was arrested on Sept. 2. Court documents do not provide a concrete motive for the attack against the victim.

Richard Byrd can be reached via email at rbyrd@columbiabasinherald.com.