Alexander H. Favre, 29, of Grayland, pleaded guilty to third degree assault of a child and was sentenced to 30 days in jail. Favre will be prohibited from having any contact with the child for five years. The action took place in Pacific County Superior Court Friday afternoon.
Favre, who was residing in Grayland with his girlfriend and her three-year-old daughter, was arrested after Pacific County Prosecutor Mark McClain sought an arrest warrant following a Child Protective Services (CPS) investigation. CPS was alerted by a child care provider that the three-year-old had what was later described by the medical examiner as bright red to purple bruising covering the right buttock from the top of the thigh to the bottom of the child's back.
"While I believe it is perfectly appropriate to spank a child, Mr. Favre spanked this child so hard as to leave significant bruising for days after the spanking because he was upset that the child had colored on the television," McClain told the Herald.
The State of Washington permits a parent, guardian or teacher to spank a child, provided the force "reasonable and moderate" and used for corrective or restraining purposes.
"Mr. Favre's actions were out of anger and far beyond corrective actions, and because of this I felt the child was better protected by requiring Mr. Favre plead to a felony and complete anger management treatment while on probation with the Department of Corrections," McClain added.