A Vancouver, Washington woman who beat her then-11-year-old stepson with household items walked out of a Clark County courtroom this week with no prison time, instead receiving 24 months of community custody under a mental health sentencing alternative.
Davis pleaded guilty on September 9 to third-degree assault of a child, according to The Columbian.
A Clark County Superior Court judge sentenced Davis on Wednesday to community custody, the outlet's report notes. The case stemmed from a February 2023 abuse investigation involving allegations that the boy had been struck with hangers.
Children Placed in Protective Custody
Both the boy and his 12-year-old brother were placed into protective custody.
Court records laid out conditions inside the home that went beyond a single violent episode. Investigators found a sleeping bag in a bedroom closet where, according to the 12-year-old brother's account, the 11-year-old was forced to sleep on the floor and urinate out of fear of waking his parents to use the bathroom. Those details supported the initial criminal mistreatment and child assault charges filed against Davis.
Anthony Scott Davis Also Faced Charges
Anthony Scott Davis, who was 43 in 2023, was charged with second-degree child assault and criminal mistreatment.
How the Mental Health Alternative Works
Washington's Mental Health Sentencing Alternative is codified at RCW 9.94A.695.
That discretion is broad but not unlimited. A May 2025 Washington Court of Appeals ruling, State v. Colon, affirmed that trial courts can grant or deny the alternative based on factors like victim opposition, criminal history, or a lack of connection between the offender's disorder and the crime itself, according to Alexander Ransom Law. The decision underscores that the alternative sentencing path is a discretionary privilege rather than something defendants are automatically entitled to.
Third-degree assault of a child is a Class C felony in Washington, punishable by up to five years in prison and a $10,000 fine, per Hale Law Enterprises.
Compliance Is Mandatory, Not Optional
Davis's 24 months of community custody come with strict enforcement mechanisms. Under RCW 9.94A.633, defendants serving a mental health sentencing alternative who violate treatment or probation conditions face up to 60 days of confinement for each violation, or full revocation of the alternative sentence altogether. That means any lapse in court-mandated treatment could send Davis back before a judge facing the prison time she avoided this week, while her husband's case continues to move through Clark County Superior Court.
