It was a stomp, not a kick, that caused a severe laceration to the side of the head of a 5-year-old girl at Aliamanu Military Reservation Tuesday, said Vickie Kapp, deputy city prosecutor.

And the woman who delivered the blow, 32-year-old Tameka Harris, did so because the girl, her stepdaughter, hugged her 10-year-old cousin who was visiting from the mainland, Kapp said.

An Oahu grand jury returned an indictment yesterday charging Harris with second-degree assault. The charge is a Class C felony punishable by up to five years in prison.

Harris remains free on $11,000 bail. The state says she is a military dependent whose husband is on deployment.

Circuit Judge Richard Perkins issued an order prohibiting Harris from making any contact with the girl.

The state said Honolulu police took into protective custody Wednesday three children, ages 13, 5 and 2, then notified the state’s Child Welfare Services Branch. All three children remain together, the state said.

Police said Harris kicked the girl several times on the back, causing the girl to fall to the floor, then kicked her in the head.