Mother pleads not guilty to assault

A woman charged with assaulting her 15-month-old daughter on a flight to Honolulu from Alaska pleaded not guilty to the charge Friday in U.S. District Court.

Samantha Leialoha Wata­nabe made her first court appearance, pleading to simple assault of a person younger than 16 years old aboard an aircraft. The crime is a misdemeanor punishable by up to a year in jail and a fine.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Kevin S.C. Chang scheduled trial for July and is allowing Watanabe to remain free on $10,000 unsecured signature bond until then.

"In recognition of her substance abuse problem," Chang is requiring Wata­nabe to submit to random drug testing. He also ordered her to undergo mental health evaluation and treatment and attend stress and anxiety classes if they are recommended by the court’s Pretrial Services.

Chang told Watanabe that she can enter the Salvation Army Family Treatment Services Womens Way program if she is accepted.

Womens Way provides substance abuse treatment and a halfway house, or sober living home, with outpatient care and residential long-term treatment. It also provides beds for children of clients undergoing drug treatment.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Beverly Sameshima said Watanabe is homeless and still has custody of her 15-month-old daughter.

Watanabe and her lawyer, First Assistant Federal Defender Alexander Silvert, declined comment following the court hearing.

The FBI said Watanabe assaulted her daughter May 3 aboard Alaska Airlines Flight 870.

Sameshima said Wata­nabe is from Hawaii.

Witnesses told the FBI they saw Watanabe manhandle her daughter, repeatedly hit the toddler in the head, pull out bits of the girl’s hair and tell her daughter to "shut the (expletive) up," and "shut up, you little (expletive)." They said the girl’s head snapped forward and backward when Watanabe hit the toddler.

One witness said Wata­nabe hit her daughter so hard, the toddler fell into the next seat. She said Watanabe then picked up the child and slammed her down on her lap.

Another witness said based on his training and professional experience, he believes Watanabe was behaving as though she was under the influence of a central nervous system stimulant. He also said he saw Watanabe put folded cash in the front of her daughter’s diaper as if to conceal the money.