Woman in custody after babysitter reports being attacked in Centennial Park
photo by: Kim Callahan/Journal-World
A woman is in custody after a babysitter reported being attacked at Centennial Park on Tuesday while holding a 4-year-old child, Lawrence police said on social media.
The Lawrence Police Department said in a Facebook post that police were called to the park at 2124 W. Ninth St. around 12:30 p.m., where witnesses said the suspect, who was believed to be living in the park, approached a small group of people supervising children on the playground. The post said the babysitter, worried for the child’s safety, picked the child up and tried to get away, but the suspect allegedly struck the babysitter in the back with a dumbbell multiple times.
The babysitter was able to get to her vehicle with the child and left the area while calling police, the post said. She declined medical treatment “and will be physically ok, but was clearly shaken,” the post said.
According to the Douglas County Jail booking logs, Bethany Lynn Brown, 33, was arrested at Centennial Park and booked into the Douglas County Jail on suspicion of aggravated battery and endangering a child.