A California woman was arrested after she reportedly attacked a minor with a “fist full of chain” during an argument over a mini-fridge. Andrea Gladysz, 37, was charged with one count of willful cruelty to a child over the February 4 incident, the Tuolumne County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement. The details of this case are certainly strange, particularly because they’re so sparse!
- Police received a call about alleged child abuse around 5:15 p.m. When deputies arrived to a home in Sonora, a small city of about 5,000 residents, a witness outlined what happened. According to the witness, Gladysz and the minor victim were arguing about a mini-fridge, though it’s unclear what exactly that argument entailed.
- The chain wasn’t initially used as an assault weapon. Instead, it was used as a way to keep the minor victim outside. TCSO spokesperson and Deputy Ashley Boujikian told myMotherLode.com: “Gladysz was attempting to chain the confidential victim’s door shut to lock the confidential victim out. While Gladysz was locking the door, the confidential victim was attempting to go inside.”
- Gladysz became aggravated when the minor victim continued to try and get inside. That’s when the alleged abuse occurred. “The confidential victim and witness reported Gladysz hit the confidential victim in the head with a fist full of chain resulting in swelling to the head of the confidential victim,” Boujikian’s statement continued.
- The defendant was arrested without incident. She’s currently being held on $25,000 bail. It’s unclear how old the alleged victim was or what their relationship was to Gladysz. If convicted, Gladysz could face “imprisonment in a county jail not exceeding one year, or in the state prison for two, four, or six years.” This charge also comes with a mandatory minimum probation sentence of 48 months, mandatory protective orders for the child or children involved, and completion of a child abuse counseling program, Law&Crime reports.
