A 33-year-old Blaine man was arrested for third-degree child assault after allegedly punishing a child known to him last month, resulting in large bruises.
Joshua M. Genal, 33, of Blaine, was reported to Blaine Police Department on April 17 on suspicion of reprimanding a young school-age child for stealing a bathing suit from a friend and wearing it under their clothing, according to the affidavit of probable cause filed in Whatcom County Superior Court. The incident was believed to have occurred on April 14.
Genal told another adult that he made the child do wall-sits for nearly two minutes and declined the child’s request to go to the bathroom, resulting in the child urinating, according to the police report. Court records show Genal also allegedly told the adult that he hit the child with a horsewhip and made the child crawl in the rain.
Blaine officers observed the child’s injuries, which included a bruise the size of a U.S. dollar bill on their shoulder blade, large bruises on both knees and a three-inch red mark on their leg.
The child described to police the wall-sits and how Genal would hit them with an object as punishment.
Genal was arrested April 17, the same day as the report, and booked into Whatcom County Jail. He was released April 20 on a $3,000 cash bond.
Genal is due to appear in court for a status conference hearing May 13.
Brigid Collins Family Support Center, a Bellingham-based nonprofit working to end child abuse, can be reached at 360-734-4616 and brigidcollins.org.
If you or someone you know is affected by domestic or sexual violence, the Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Services (DVSAS) 24-hour hotline is available at 360-715-1563 or 877-715-1563.
Lummi Victims of Crime has a 24-hour helpline at 360-312-2015. The National Domestic Violence Helpline operates a chat line at thehotline.org/help.
