Honk News ( Ogle County, IL) – An Illinois woman has been released after spending time in jail for allegedly assaulting a 6-year-old child last December.
A judge has mandated that Martha Dunham, 36, must avoid contact with children under 18 as part of her release conditions from the Ogle County Jail. Dunham was taken into custody on December 13 for serious charges related to the aggravated battery of a child under 13 and domestic battery. On January 9, she appeared in court, was released from jail, and received a protective order.
Court records from local news source Shaw Local indicate that Dunham faced accusations of headbutting the child and pulling the child’s hair. The connection between Dunham and the child remains unclear, as does Dunham’s relationship with the child’s mother, who has requested a protective order against Dunham. Documents indicated that the reported incidents involved “physical contact of an insulting or provoking nature.”
Dunham was in court on Dec. 23, where she entered a not-guilty plea to the charges brought against her. A hearing took place on January 7 regarding the protective order filed by the mother of the alleged victim following the incident in December. The mother requested a two-year extension of the order. When Ogle County Judge Russell Crull inquired if she would agree to it, Dunham responded, “Can we do it until my criminal case is settled?”
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Crull has prolonged the order until January 28. He stepped back from any further proceedings due to a conflict of interest, as he had previously represented the child’s mother as a private defense attorney.
A hearing took place on January 9 with a new judge, Anthony Peska. Prosecutors requested that Dunham remain in custody because of her past domestic violence charges from 2006. However, Peska decided to release her with the stipulation that she must not have any contact with children under 18. She is scheduled to return to court on January 28 for another hearing about the protection order.
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Dunham is scheduled to appear in court for her criminal charges on March 18.