By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter
CHEHALIS – The mother of the 4-year-old Winlock boy whose bruises and wounds led to child assault charges for her live-in boyfriend in December was arrested yesterday, just hours after the boyfriend pleaded guilty to reduced charges.
Heather L. McNurlin, 23, was charged in Lewis County Superior Court today with third-degree assault of a child, as an accomplice.
Lewis County Deputy Prosecutor Joely O’Rourke said McNurlin was present when the abuse was inflicted, and some of it was even her idea. She wasn’t charged earlier, because she was a witness for her boyfriend’s case, O’Rourke said.
The Lewis County Sheriff’s Office investigation began when the child was brought by his grandmother to the hospital emergency room to be looked at on Nov. 30. Among the boy’s various injuries were bruises on the outsides of his legs he said he got from “knife hand” spankings because he broke house rules by stealing food.
The mother said she and 31-year-old Ryon T. Connery had been in a dating relationship about four months. The little boy was taken out of the home McNurlin and Connery shared and placed with his grandmother.
Charging documents in McNurlin’s case allege Connery had her permission to punish her child by ordering him, for example, to do “wall sits” for approximately five minutes, sometimes with a weighted bag over his head. In one instance when the boy took bread without permission and also wet his pants, he was taken outside and hosed off with cold water, at night, according to the allegations.
McNurlin explained to a detective her son was on a very strict diet of only fruits and vegetables, the documents state.
The couple attend marital arts classes in Longview, and when queried by a detective, the instructor – a 20-year practitioner of martial arts – said he could not hold a wall sit for more than one minute.
When the boy was brought to the hospital, he had a broken finger he said occurred when he dropped a weight on it, a scraped nose he said was from falling on his face trying to get away from a spanking and he spoke of being dunked in a dirty outdoor pool, according to charging documents.
A doctor who reviewed the case opined the child was malnourished and was the victim of starvation as well as abuse, both mentally and physically, according to the documents.
Connery was initially charged with two charges of second-degree child assault, but O’Rourke told a judge yesterday the evidence didn’t include intention on Connery’s part, so she and defense attorney David Arcuri agreed to one count of third-degree child assault.
Judge Richard Brosey accepted Connery’s guilty plea during the short hearing yesterday morning.
The lawyers said they both will recommend 16 months of incarceration when Connery is sentenced next month.
This afternoon, when McNurlin was brought before Judge Brosey, O’Rourke and defense attorney Bob Schroeter both said McNurlin is working very hard at her parenting classes as required in the dependency action which is underway.
McNurlin’s bail was set at a $5,000 unsecured bond and the judge said she may only have contact with her son as allowed by the court in the separate civil action.
Her arraignment is scheduled for Feb. 1 with a court-appointed attorney.
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For background, read “Child assault charged in case of 4-year-old Winlock boy” from Thursday December 5, 2013, here
Tags: By Sharyn L. Decker, news reporter
Good Ol’ Screwus County is at the top of it’s game, I see. That guy should get more than 20 years…..and he should be subjected to the exact same things he put that little boy through. As for his mother, Do the same to her!
What is really scary about this story is that we are not hearing about strangers, or day care providers , or even POS boyfriends (they will always abide) we are hearing about MOMS. Moms should be the first line of defense for a child . We should nip this in the bud and remove the Mom who behaves like this and make the punishment fitting to the crime. This child is basically ruined as is his life . All the prayers in the world will not change the fact that SHE let the Bogeyman in. Every child has the right to a mom who protects them. It should be a law !!!!! Parenting class my ass, she should be on a road gang. Her Boy should never have to see her scary visage ever again. As for the animal she let in he should be left alone with me for about ten minutes. This ole’ Granny would show him the Bogeyman . Ok I’m done , oh yeah mornin folks.
my boy is almost 4 and i would never ever do this to him and couldnt even think about doing something like this to my children. Now i am really starting to understand why i keep my kids close to me. My almost 4 year old has been away from me for 2 weeks his whole life and not at one time. My almost 2 year old has never went nowhere overnight and im sure it will stay that way. This just sickens me. The laws MUST change so we can protect our children from people like this. Im praying for this little boy and the grandma and that she gets full custody of him.
Stupid as it may sound, but WHY would you allow this! I don’t get it at all. The child is four years old–I thought that when you punished a child by giving them “time outs” that it was a minute for each age and that they were–NOT “wall sits” or whatever. As for nutrition, fruits and vegetables–Yeah maybe if you are residing in a vegan family, but children need protein too. Maybe peanut butter, etc. I do not understand how a mother could do this to her child. Maybe the biological father needs to step up. There are programs out there for people that cannot afford legal services such as the wwwnwjusticeorg.com Very sad, but glad that this small child did not perish and he still has a chance in life. I wish this baby well!
To all you baby mama’s out there…is this really what you want for your kids, for yourselves? I mean WTF ladies?? Can we stop bringing babies into the world just to subject them to this sh*t. Can we quit f**king around and just do the right thing…if you have to get busy, use a freaking condom. I am tired of reading this sh*t.
If you already have babies…understand this: it is NO LONGER ABOUT YOU! What you want or need is second, third, fourth or twenty-eighth to what ever that child(ren) needs. You don’t NEED a boyfriend, you don”t NEED an IPAD, you don’t NEED a freakin” big screen TV…you NEED to grow the f*&^ up and be a parent. That means YOU raise your child not your parents. That means YOU do whatever it takes to support YOUR child…that means YOU better get YOUR sh*t together because this ain’t that stupid doll you brought home from high school and you can’t take it back. Now, turn away all the dreams of your childhood, they are gone. Reality is staring you in the face. It pees, it poops and it needs you 24/7. It is your job to protect it, love it and grow it into a productive member of society. Time to quit watching the Kardashians and Game of Thrones…
You don’t need a dirt bag boyfriend to raise a baby …in fact your better off with out a man around until your kid(s) are older. But if you must have a male companion, he needs to be working, serious, committed, and worth marrying…and that means a guy that doesn’t want to move in with you and your kids five minutes after you meet. And here are the big 7 if he; Hits you (or your kids), drinks, smokes dope(weed too), calls you names, threatens you, degrades you or threats you like crap…that is not a man, that is a punk.
Do not settle. If you never find Mr. Right, do not subject yourself or your kids to Mr.Wrong.You owe it to your kid(s) to give them the best life you can, anything less is unacceptable. YOU can do it. You just need to take the first step, then the next, and the next, and…
I agree they should get 20 years. AND SHOULD NEVER HAVE ANY CONTACT WITH THE CHID AGAIN…hOW HORRIBLE.MAKES ME SICK
Are people so desperate for “love” that they would let a boyfriend of four months beat their child and say it is okay rather than be along and raise their child. I was raised by a single mom and she never dated until I was about 14 or 15 and then she married my step-father who was a decent nice guy.
You made the choice to procreate and have a child then make the decision to do what is best for that child even if it means working hard and living alone rather than grabbing onto the first thing that comes along that seems like love to you. Okay if I don;t stop now i will be going all night.
She is doing well in her parenting class????????? Arggghhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
This little boy doesnt stand a chance, if Lewis County Courts, and Child Services is in charge~
Guess what folks? Connery is also a registered sex offender:
http://www.icrimewatch.net/offenderdetails.php?OfndrID=746676&AgencyID=54477
This stupid bitch “mother” should NEVER get her child back. She is even WORSE than Connery. If you can’t count on your own mother to protect you, what hope is there?
Shouldn’t that make you happy, BleeBloo, since we all live hopeless existences in which we end up as a maggot’s breakfast?
It’s Becky Heupel all over again. The “mother” is the real P.O.S. for allowing (and even participating in) that pukebag to abuse and starve her child. So if the boy was on a strict diet of fruits and vegetables why was there bread in the house at all? I guess the diet wasn’t good enough for the adults huh? People like this make me sick. Yet another example of some skank with low self esteem making her boyfriend more important than her child. Thank God in this case someone stepped in before the child was killed. Sadly, this boy will likely be given back to this stupid bitch and her next live in douche bag probably will kill him. I pray he stays with his grandmother permanently. What a sad life for such a young innocent soul to endure. Shame on his “mother”
I notice that no one is praying for the boy.
You’ve got to be kidding me, Heather you’re a poor excuse of a mother, I have a 4 year old, and a live in boyfriend and NEVER EVER would I have ever allowed nor would I ever myself do those things to my child that you’ve both done to yours. You’re lucky your child hadn’t died of result to both your carelessness and immaturity especially you being his mother. Honestly I don’t even think you deserve the right to be called a mother. To put it simply you make me sick.
he is going to get serciously messed up in prision . triple what he did to this litle boy!
The state or county are NOT doing things right period. They take and try to keep children that should be returned and return those that should not. I know from my own personal experience.
Yes they are Ed Lane. They say there is nothing they can do legally. In this case thank god the child had a caring family member to step in. Poor little boy. What in the hell is wrong with that age group generation? Man, a bunch of sick mo-fo’s, with nothing in their chests and nothing in their heads. Should put them both away for at least 10 years, that way they can not harm this boy or another. At least the boy would be old enough by then to make his own decision whether he wanted to go back to his mom or not, cuz the twisted bitch will be given him back, that is just how this f–ked up county does shit……….ALL BACKWARDS!!!
He is guilty and he should get at least 20 years. He has done this before. Are you waiting until he kills a child?