Martha McClure had surgery for her injuries Monday and is still struggling with double vision, according to her sister-in-law, Marlene Heath.
Lake County officials say McClure was caring for Francis Joseph
Jackson's three children, all under the age of 4, when he showed up at
her Ronan daycare center with an unidentified woman last week.
McClure knew Salish and Kootenai Tribal Child Protective Services had
suspended Jackson's parental rights and he was not allowed to have
contact with them.
Deputy county attorney James Lapotka wrote in an affidavit that Jackson,
31, "has been in an ongoing CPS case for the past three years" and was
served court papers saying the agency had legal custody of his children.
McClure reported she could smell alcohol on Jackson, that he was angry
she wouldn't let him pick up his children, and that he threatened to
assault her in front of the kids at Martha's Mini Daycare, court records
said.
She was able to physically remove Jackson from the daycare center and
lock the door. But she said he began throwing toys, including a
tricycle, at the window in an apparent attempt to get back inside, court
records said.
McClure went outside, where she and Jackson fought until a woman hit
McClure in the face with a snow shovel. Jackson then hit McClure in the
face, knocking her down, court records said. The suspects fled without
the children.
Jackson was arrested Monday in Usk, Washington, on the Kalispel Indian
Reservation. He faces aggravated burglary charges in the Oct. 7
incident.
He waived extradition Tuesday during a court hearing in Pend Oreille
County. His bond was set at $100,000, and he was expected to be returned
to Montana later this week, a jail officer said.
Charges are pending against the woman accused of hitting McClure in the
face with a shovel. She has not been arrested, and her name has not been
released.
Meanwhile, Heath says McClure is recovering from surgery for an eye
injury. A photo on a gofundme.com page set up by McClure's stepdaughter
shows the daycare owner with two black eyes and other facial injuries.
"She's still in high spirits, positive and trying to get better so she can get back to her (daycare) kids," Heath said.
