Man pleads guilty to assault on child
FARMINGTON — A Bonne Terre man has pleaded guilty to two counts of misdemeanor assault in connection with a child.
James “Jason” Singleton, 30, initially had been charged with two counts of child abuse. He pleaded guilty to two counts of third-degree assault Tuesday.
He was placed on two years of supervised probation and ordered to attend anger management counseling.
According to court records, Singleton was alleged to have struck a child in the face with a belt April 18, 2002. He was also alleged to have rubbed the same child’s face in urine-soaked carpet on July 30, 2002.
According to the Bonne Terre Police Department, officers were contacted by the child’s father and stepmother who made allegations that the child, then 10, was being abused by Singleton. The boy showed the officer bruises on his shins from being kicked regularly by Singleton.
The boy said Singleton threw him on the floor, took a belt and hit him in the face with the loop of the belt. It reportedly left bruises on his face which the child said his mother asked about. His mother reportedly hotlined the incident.
Another incident occurred when the boy “had an accident” while sleeping on the floor.
The boy said he woke up and put his sheets in the washer. He said Singleton caught him doing this and asked if he had cleaned the carpet.
The boy said Singleton grabbed him by the back of the neck and rubbed his face in the urine on the floor. This left marks and a rug burn on his face.
When questioned by DFS and police, Singleton denied abusing the child and said the boy tells lies.
However, Singleton reportedly admitted to officers that he had a problem and was willing to go through counseling. But he maintained he never hit the boy and did not rub his face in the carpet.
The mother of the child said she did not see the incidents happen and she did not witness any problems between the boy and Singleton. She said the boy had told her about several incidents but she did not know whether or not she should believe him.
