A 40-year-old woman has been sentenced to 18 months in prison after she was convicted of striking a 5-year-old boy with a pool cue and back scratcher.
The child and his family had been living with Cindy Atofau for months at her home when the January assault was reported to the Anchorage Police Department, according to a statement from the state Department of Law. Thursday, Superior Court Judge Phillip Volland sentenced her to third-degree assault, a class C felony.
Following the assault, the child’s mother noticed her son had trouble sitting down and he was taken to a hospital to be evaluated and treated. He sustained injuries to his lower back, buttocks, legs, hands and ears. He also had a fractured foot and bruising on his face. Investigation revealed Atofau caused the injuries with a pool cue and a back scratcher.
In addition to her year-and-a-half sentence, Atofau was placed on felony probation for three years. Volland said the child’s injuries showed a “degree of heartlessness,” according to the DOL statement. Atofau said she accepted responsibility for her actions and apologized to the victim and his family.