Thursday afternoon, officers responded to a domestic dispute reported at the intersection of Clark Avenue and Ward Street in Bellefontaine. The call reported that Krysta Lyon, 25, of Lima, was allegedly involved in a physical altercation with an 8-year-old girl.
Upon arrival, officers made contact with the victim, who was visibly upset, crying, and had a fresh red mark on the left side of her face. The child was also noted to be covered in dirt.
According to the victim, a disagreement had occurred with her cousin, later identified as a witness. The victim reported that Lyon, her aunt, arrived at the scene and began to punch her.
A witness, who was present during the incident, stated that the conflict started after the victim called her father a derogatory term. This information was relayed to Lyon by her son. The witness described seeing Lyon hit the victim in the mouth, followed by a physical altercation where she allegedly punched the victim multiple times while she was on the ground. Another witness, the victim’s sister, corroborated this account.
The Bellefontaine Fire Department was called to examine the victim’s injuries. While the fire department attended to the child, officers took photographs of the victim’s condition.
Lyon was located at the Common Pleas Courthouse, where she was in the middle of a hearing. Lyon claimed she had arrived at the house to find her nieces fighting and attempted to intervene. She alleged that the victim grabbed her hair and tried to throw her to the ground, prompting her to restrain the victim.
Lyon admitted to “popping” the victim in the mouth but denied further physical aggression. She was arrested on charges of endangering children and transported to the Logan County Jail.
