King County prosecutors allege a homeless woman in Federal Way doused her daughter in gasoline and threatened to light her on fire because of a bad test grade, charging documents say.
Lisa Kyles, 44, pleaded not guilty on Tuesday to attempted assault in the first degree and felony harassment charges, both with a domestic violence emphasis. She’s currently being held at the Seattle Correctional Facility on $150,000 bail.
Federal Way police arrested Kyles on Nov. 11 for the alleged assault, which occurred the day before.
At 9:11 p.m. on Nov. 10, police were dispatched to the Brightwater Apartments, located at 31224 20th Ave. S., for a domestic violence call. Once there, a witness told officers a mother and daughter got into an argument and the mother threatened to set her daughter and the victim’s apartment on fire. Additionally, the 14-year-old girl smelled of gasoline, officers noted.
The mother had fled the scene in a tan 1998 Ford Windstar van.
Police interviewed the girl, who was “visibly shaken and crying,” and learned at about 5:30 p.m. that evening she was with her family in the van when her 22-year-old brother got upset with her over a test grade. Charging documents state he began lecturing her but it escalated when he started to punch her in the head about “18-20” times.
“[The victim] said she was assaulted for a period of three hours,” the documents continue.
At around 8:30 p.m., the victim’s brother allegedly told his mother to “handle this” and he left. Kyles and her daughter argued about her grades, and Kyles allegedly struck her three times to her right knee and shin with a tire jack, the victim told police.
Kyles allegedly hit her left hand with the same jack five-to-eight times.
“Kyles then grabbed a phone charger cord and jumper cable and began whipping [the victim] on her right shoulder,” charging documents state. “Kyles then grabbed a gasoline canister, which was situated in the backseat.”
The girl told police her mother poured gasoline on her and then flicked a white lighter near her clothing.
The victim ran.
One witness tried to intervene as Kyles chased her daughter, but Kyles threatened the witness too.
During the encounter, Kyles told the witnesses that she should be allowed to discipline her daughter however she saw fit, and said, “It’s my daughter and I can do as I please!”
The witnesses smelled gasoline on the girl and a “heavy odor of alcohol” coming from Kyles.
The girl was taken to St. Francis Hospital for her injuries and then taken into protective custody by Child Protective Services that night as police searched the area for her mother.
The next day, police found Kyles’ van in the parking lot of a 24 Hour Fitness and waited for her to approach the vehicle before arresting her.
After police read her Miranda rights, Kyles admitted to hitting her daughter on her, which, she said, was discipline for inappropriate cell phone photos. Kyles denied pouring gasoline on her daughter, threatening her, whipping her or hitting her with a tire jack.
However, in a search of her vehicle, police found a white lighter, a gas container and a phone cord.
Kyles’ criminal record includes charges for open or consumption of liquor in public in 1997, domestic violence assault in 1994, refusal to cooperate with police in 1992 and a Child Protective Services investigation in 2012.
