KEWANEE, Ill. (WMBD)– A Kewanee woman was arrested on Friday for multiple incidents that ended with a charge of assaulting a child.
According to the Kewanee Police Department Facebook page, Kewanee officers were dispatched to the corner of Grove Street and Rose Street for reports of a woman yelling at cars in the middle of the road.
Aretha Shaw, 49, was located in the street. She was told she was causing a disturbance and a traffic hazard and was offered a ride. Shaw refused the offer and left the scene.
Minutes later, officers were dispatched to the area again for complaints of Shaw screaming that she was going to kill someone.
While searching for her, a woman on Roseview Avenue contacted police saying Shaw tried to start a fight outside of her house where her niece was playing in the yard. Investigators say Shaw then grabbed her two-year-old niece by the arm and tried to take her.
According to the report, the woman was able to push Shaw off of her niece. The child did not suffer any injuries.
Officers attempted to arrest Shaw before she tried and failed to run off. Police say Shaw resisted arrest and bit one of the officers, drawing blood.
The bitten officer was evaluated and treated at OSF St. Luke’s Medical Center and released.
Shaw was later transported to Henry County Jail, but not before successfully slipping out of her handcuffs in the back of the cruiser and attempting to punch out the windows.
Shaw has been charged with aggravated battery to a child (class 2 felony), aggravated battery to a police officer (class 3 felony), resisting arrest (class A misdemeanor), and disorderly conduct (class C misdemeanor).
Shaw’s bond was set at $50,000. A preliminary hearing has been scheduled for May 1 at 1 p.m. at the Henry County Courthouse.
