SULTAN — The adage “Listen to your mother” isn’t always the best advice.
On Monday, it landed a Sultan man in jail.
He’s accused of hurling a softball-sized rock at his mom’s former boyfriend, allegedly at her behest.
A witness who didn’t know any of the parties involved told police that he saw the woman hand her son a large rock and instruct him to “hit that (expletive).” She’d been arrested the day before for investigation of misdemeanor domestic violence assault directed at the same man, 59.
The hurled rock missed the intended target by about a foot but came within inches of hitting one of his granddaughters, the witness told police.
The victim also said the Sultan man earlier had punched him in the back of the head.
Police were called to the 400 block of Stevens Avenue in Sultan around 6:30 p.m.
The witness told Sultan police he was concerned by how close the rock came to hitting one of the man’s elementary school-aged granddaughters.
The mother, 52, and son, 22, were arrested for investigation of attempted assault.
The son initially denied throwing the rock, but later acknowledged he did. He argued that he hadn’t committed a crime because he didn’t hit anyone. The officer explained that his mere attempt to strike someone with something that could cause serious injury constituted a crime.
Police contacted the man’s mom in the 500 block of Stevens Avenue.
She at first denied giving her son the rock and encouraging him to throw it.
After being confronted with an independent witness’s account and talking with her son, the woman reportedly apologized for lying.
She pleaded with the officer to release her. He said he could not because of the arrest also was related to domestic violence.
Eric Stevick: 425-339-3446, stevick@heraldnet.com
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