Potosi woman charged with assault, escape from custody

Washington County filed felony charges last month against Christina Lynn DeClue, 32, of Potosi. DeClue is charged with one count of 3rd-degree assault and one count of escape from custody.

A probable cause statement from the Potosi Police Department said officers responded to a disturbance call at the Super 8 Hotel. According to the report, officers saw DeClue punching a man, and the man was yelling, “Get her off me.” Police say after DeClue was arrested and placed in handcuffs, she said she would continue punching the man when the handcuffs came off.

Christina Lynn DeClue (Missouri Department of Corrections)

According to the report, officers took DeClue to the police department for booking purposes. Once at the station, DeClue allegedly said she might have molested a child. The report reads, “The defendant stated that the child was approximately 4 or 5 years old, and she could not remember if she did or did not. Due to these statements, the defendant was secured to a bench as officers exited the room to contact a detective. Officers were monitoring the defendant on surveillance cameras when she slipped her wrist free from her restraints and ran out the front door. Officers apprehended the defendant in the parking lot, where she was placed into wrist restraints and escorted back into the police department. The possible child molestation case will be an ongoing investigation.”

DeClue is in custody with the Washington County Sheriff’s Department, awaiting further legal action. A criminal history check on Missouri Case Net shows that DeClue is not a stranger to the criminal justice system. Her prior convictions include three felonies: receiving stolen property, forgery, and possession of controlled substances.

Jeannie Northrup is a staff writer with the Daily Journal. She can be reached at jnorthrup@dailyjournalonline.com