Bail set at $75,000 for Centralia man accused of assaulting child

A Centralia man has been accused of assaulting and threatening a child under the age of 13, according to court documents.

Marcus L. Deal, 35, is charged with one count each of felony harassment and second-degree assault of a child, both considered domestic violence offenses.

Deal faces a potential punishment of up to 10 years in prison for the assault charge, which is also considered a strike offense.

Convictions of strike offenses on three separate occasions would result in a mandatory sentence of life in prison.

Deal faces up to five years in prison for the harassment charge.

He made a preliminary appearance in Lewis County Superior Court on Friday, April 24.

During the hearing, a judge set bail at $75,000 cash or bond, in agreement with the state's request, citing concern for public safety and the safety of the potential victims.

The judge noted that Deal has seven prior domestic violence convictions.

The judge granted the state's request for a domestic violence no-contact order on behalf of the alleged victim, as well as an order for Deal to surrender any weapons within his possession.

Other conditions of release include no direct or indirect contact with any witnesses.

According to a probable cause affidavit, Centralia police responded to an apartment complex on April 21 after witnesses reported hearing someone yelling at a child.

The yelling was reportedly followed by a child screaming.

Police contacted Deal at the apartment indicated by the witnesses, where they reportedly noticed various injuries to one potential victim, including scratches on the face, redness on the cheek, a mark behind the ear, and a recent hand-shaped bruise in the shoulder area.

Deal allegedly denied causing these and other injuries, and said the bruise on the victim's back occurred when he grabbed the child "the day before when (the child) walked into the parking lot and it appeared (the child) was going to be hit by a car," according to the affidavit.

As Child Protective Services arrived to take custody of the children inside the home, one of the police officers reportedly noticed some of the marks and redness "had already begun to fade," which led him to believe the "incident that caused these marks occurred shortly before his initial contact at the residence," according to the affidavit.

Police booked Deal into the Lewis County Jail at about 11:50 a.m. April 23, according to jail records.

Deal has been issued 10 prior warrants. His criminal history includes a felony conviction for second-degree robbery in 2014, along with misdemeanor convictions for assault, harassment, and multiple no-contact order violations.

Seven of his misdemeanor convictions constituted domestic violence.

The defendant was scheduled for an arraignment on April 30.

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