Witnesses Report Child-Abuse Incident Mother Allegedly Shook, Shoved 2-Year-Old In Downtown Cda

Police arrested a 31-year-old mother Sunday after witnesses said they had seen her abuse her 2-year-old son.

Mishel Diaz of Coeur d’Alene was charged Monday with cruelty to a child.

Barry and July Coleman were at T.W. Fisher’s on Sunday about 4 p.m. when they saw Diaz pushing a stroller on Lakeside.

Her 2-year-old son, Nikko Skaggs, was in the stroller.

Diaz was walking in the parking lane and let the stroller go, allowing it to hit the back of a parked pickup truck, according to a Coeur d’Alene police report.

Diaz appeared to get angry with the child in the stroller. She picked up the boy and shook him violently, then shoved him forcefully into the stroller, Barry Coleman told police.

He told police he feared the child’s neck would be broken.

The mother repeated the shaking and shoving four or five times, the last time shoving the child in the stroller and slapping his feet as she tried to put his legs through the leg holes, according to the report.

Barry Coleman asked someone to call police as he and July went to help the child. Diaz hit Coleman as he tried to restrain her, according to the police report.

When police arrived, Diaz denied striking the child but admitted shaking him several times, according to the report.

Police arrested her and released the toddler into his uncle’s custody. The case also was forwarded to Child Protective Services.

The boy was not injured, according to the report.

Diaz is being held at the Kootenai County Jail on $1,500 bail.

, DataTimes