Police said the child suffered facial injuries in the alleged assault outside a Henrico County elementary school bus stop.
HENRICO, Va. — A 47-year-old Virginia woman has been charged after authorities said she assaulted a 9-year-old boy as he waited for his school bus in Henrico County, leaving the child with facial injuries that required hospital treatment.
The alleged attack happened around 7:30 a.m. Oct. 16 at a bus stop near Blue Stone Drive and Cool Lane, where students were waiting for transportation to Ratcliffe Elementary School. School officials said a woman approached the group as the bus was arriving and physically assaulted one of the students. Police identified the woman as Marie Tulette Marsh of Henrico.
Henrico County police officers responded to the area and found the boy with what authorities described as obvious injuries to his face. The child, whose name has not been released, was taken to a hospital. Police said his injuries were not considered life-threatening, and subsequent reports indicated he was expected to recover.
A nearby resident told local news station WTVR that he heard the boy calling for help, looked outside and saw a woman striking him. The witness said he went outside and confronted the woman before helping the child to safety and calling 911. Another resident who passed the scene afterward described seeing the injured boy surrounded by police officers.
Police arrested Marsh and charged her with misdemeanor assault and battery, according to local reports. Authorities have not publicly identified a motive for the alleged attack or described any prior relationship between Marsh and the child. News reports citing police said the woman did not know the boy. Marsh remained jailed without bond when the case was reported this week.
Ratcliffe Elementary Principal Joy Reed described the woman as a stranger in a message sent to families after the incident. Reed told parents that school officials believed the attack was isolated and said counselors were available to support students who ride the bus and may have been affected by what happened.
School officials also increased their presence at the bus stop after the assault. Reed said she planned to visit the location during the following week to reassure students and monitor conditions there. WTVR reported that Reed and a Henrico police officer were at the stop Tuesday morning as children boarded their bus.
Some residents told local reporters that Marsh had previously been seen in the neighborhood and around the bus stop, although police have not released information establishing why she was there on the morning of the alleged assault. When asked about any previous police contacts involving Marsh, a department spokesperson told WTVR that information about an arrestee’s past could not be provided.
The case remains pending. Online court records cited by local news organizations show Marsh is scheduled for a hearing Dec. 14. Authorities have not announced additional charges, and no further information about the boy’s condition or a possible motive had been released as of Thursday.