Woman who assaulted toddler ignores trial and jail sentence

A Maui woman who has been found guilty of third-degree assault of a 17-month-old boy has not shown up to serve her jail sentence and has skipped her trial for another assault charge.

A $20,000 bench warrant had been issued earlier this week for 42-year-old Rebecca Stapp, who is accused of assaulting multiple children at her potty-training “boot camp” four years ago, The Maui News reported.

Stapp had been charged with two separate counts of third-degree assault against two different toddlers in May 2013.

Stapp sought a Supreme Court review after being found guilty of one of the two assaults, but the court rejected her request in February.

Wailuku District Judge Kelsey Kawano found that Stapp had used substantial force to hold down the child, who had bruises on his inner thighs, groin, chest and back.

Stapp had been sentenced to three months in jail as part of her one-year probation, but she hasn’t shown up to serve her sentence.

She skipped the trial for the other charge Monday.

Documents show Stapp’s last contact with the Oahu Intake Service Center, which was supervising her, was in early March.

At Stapp’s May 8 hearing, her attorney told the court that Stapp had been receiving mental health treatment outside of Hawaii, according to court records. In issuing the warrant, the court noted that Stapp hadn’t reported when she would return and didn’t have permission to leave the state.

Her $2,000 bail in that case was forfeited.