A Westwood mother is behind bars after police say a June 22 beating in East Westwood landed her young son in the hospital with serious injuries. Ebony Richardson, 38, is accused of attacking the boy so severely that he was left with bruises, welts and an arm he could not move. Prosecutors have charged her with felonious assault.
According to WKRC Local12, investigators say Richardson used a metal pole, a wooden pole and her fists during the incident at a residence on McHenry Avenue near Baltimore Avenue. The station reports the child’s injuries required hospitalization and left him unable to move his arm, and that Richardson now faces a felonious assault charge.
Before word of her arrest surfaced, a Greater Cincinnati / Northern Kentucky Crime Stoppers bulletin had already listed Richardson as wanted in connection with the June 22 attack. The alert, circulated by Cincinnati Police District Three in late June, described the same alleged weapons and asked neighbors to call the Crime Stoppers tip line with any information.
The case lands as Hamilton County prosecutors pursue a string of recent child-abuse prosecutions, including a separate case earlier this month that brought felony counts against another local mother, as reported in a Hoodline story on felony counts against a local mother. Together, the cases show prosecutors are willing to file serious felony charges when children suffer significant physical harm.
What the charge means
Under Ohio law, felonious assault can apply when someone knowingly causes serious physical harm or uses a deadly weapon. The statute is outlined in the Ohio Revised Code and is generally prosecuted as a felony. Sentencing ranges and any aggravating specifications are governed by state law and detailed in the Supreme Court of Ohio felony-sentencing guidance, which judges consult when setting potential prison terms and fines.
Court filings and future hearings in Hamilton County will determine whether prosecutors seek additional charges or specifications in Richardson’s case. As it moves through the system, the next steps will appear in public records. Anyone with information about the incident can contact Greater Cincinnati / N. Kentucky Crime Stoppers through the posting referenced above.
