A 44-year-old Washington state mother allegedly doused her teen daughter with gasoline and threatened to light her on fire after becoming angry over a bad test score, PEOPLE confirms.
Lisa Kyles was arrested on Nov. 11, the day after the alleged incident. She was charged with attempted assault and harassment, both with domestic violence qualifiers. She pleaded not guilty to both offenses Tuesday during an appearance in King County Superior Court.
According to a criminal complaint obtained by PEOPLE, police in Federal Way were dispatched to an apartment building on Nov. 10 after receiving reports of an active domestic dispute. At least one of the callers told police an argument had erupted between a mother and daughter and was escalating.
Kyles, who is homeless, had allegedly fled the area by the time police arrived on the scene. There, they encountered Kyles’ 14-year-old daughter, who allegedly smelled of gasoline. Officers also learned that Kyles allegedly made threats against a woman who had called 911, warning she would return to light her apartment on fire.
The criminal complaint alleges Kyles’ daughter “appeared to be visibly shaken and was crying” and told police her head and hand hurt from allegedly being assaulted. She told officers she was in Kyle’s parked van hours earlier when her older sister started criticizing her for a grade she had earned on a school test.
Kyles allegedly berated the girl and struck her several times on one of her legs and one of her hands with a tire jack, the complaint states.
Police allege that Kyles then retrieved a gas can from the van’s back seat and doused the teen before flicking a lighter close to her.
According to the complaint, the girl escaped, fleeing the van and running towards the nearest apartment building while yelling, “Help me, she’s trying to set me on fire!” and “She’s gonna kill me!”
Kyles allegedly chased after the girl, who was escorted into the apartment building by several residents, the complaint states. When one witness confronted Kyles about her daughter’s claims, Kyles allegedly threatened to set the witness and her apartment on fire and said, “It’s my daughter and I can do as I please!”
The girl was taken to a local hospital for treatment. She is now in state custody, police say.
The criminal complaint alleges Kyles admitted to hitting her daughter but denied whipping her or pouring gasoline on her. She also said she didn’t threaten anyone during the dispute. She also told police the argument was fueled by content she’d found on her daughter’s phone.
Kyles is being held on $150,000 bail and court records do not indicate if she has an attorney or who that is
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