A 15-year-old girl remains hospitalized with third-degree burns to her neck and most of her back after a Pontiac woman allegedly poured boiling water on her during a fight in a parking lot near Leonard Lane. The woman, identified as 31-year-old Shanell Lakeisha Cohen, turned herself in at a sheriff's substation days later and was arrested and charged.
The incident happened Sept. 28 around 7 p.m. in the parking lot, according to midmichigannow.com. Deputies responded to a large fight in the area that, according to ClickOnDetroit, drew roughly 50 to 100 people, with Cohen and the teenager caught up in the middle of it.
Investigators say Cohen took a pot of boiling water from her home stove and poured it on the teen's back during the altercation, per the report from ClickOnDetroit. The Oakland County Sheriff's Office said the teen suffered extensive burns and was taken to the hospital, where she remains with third-degree burns covering her neck and the majority of her back, the same report notes.
Cohen Turned Herself In and Admitted to Pouring the Water
Three days after the fight, on Oct. 1, Cohen went to the Oakland County Sheriff's Office Pontiac Substation. During an interview with detectives, Cohen admitted to pouring the hot water on the teenager, the station's report states. She was arrested and transported to the Oakland County Jail without incident.
The Oakland County Prosecutor's Office authorized one count of assault with intent to do great bodily harm less than murder or by strangulation against Cohen, per the same account. Under the cited subsection of Michigan law, that charge covers assaulting another person with intent to do great bodily harm less than the crime of murder, according to the Michigan Legislature.
Bond Set at $75,000 Ahead of Mid-October Hearing
Cohen was arraigned Thursday, with bond set at $75,000 cash or surety, with a 10% provision, according to midmichigannow.com's reporting. A probable cause conference has been scheduled for 1:30 p.m. on Oct. 13.
The case echoes another recent incident outside Michigan, in which a man in Tennessee was accused of hurling boiling water onto a sleeping 14-year-old's face, leaving him with third-degree burns, according to Law&Crime. No further details on Cohen's attorney, plea, or the outcome of her upcoming court date have been released.
