All subjects are presumed innocent until proven guilty.

MONROE, La. (KTVE/KARD) — On January 11, 2023, at 11:20 PM, Monroe Police were dispatched to a school in reference to a battery on a juvenile student. Upon arrival, the school’s nurse advised authorities that she noticed a 5-year-old student had makeup covering their eye.

According to the nurse, the student complained that their eye was hurting and initially advised that they fell off of their bike and landed on a rock. The student then changed their story and mentioned that their father allegedly punched them in the face after the student fixed a sandwich.

Prior to the student making a sandwich, their father told the student to not eat any food. According to police, the student’s mother was in a bedroom during the incident and advised the student to go to bed after the assault.

Before the student arrived at school, their mother allegedly placed makeup over the student’s black eye. Police then made contact with the student’s mother, 36-year-old Felicia Brown, at her residence.

According to Brown, she did not have any knowledge of what happened to the student’s eye and advised that the student fell out of bed. Brown then hesitated to answer questions about her boyfriend’s involvement in the alleged assault. As officers questioned Brown, they detected a strong marijuana odor in the residence and located two bags of marijuana along with several ends of smoked blunts.

She was placed under arrest and transported to the Ouachita Correctional Center. Brown was charged with Cruelty to Juveniles and Possession of a Controlled Dangerous Substance in the Presence of Persons under the Age of 17.