Crime & Safety

Lakewood Mom Allegedly Assaulted Son, 8, On Airplane: Complaint

Cherice Dawn Klipfel was allegedly seen slapping, kicking and trying to smother her son on a JetBlue flight from Boston to Salt Lake City.

SALT LAKE CITY — (Associated Press) A federal complaint accuses a Lakewood woman of assaulting her son during a flight from Boston to Salt Lake City.

The complaint filed in U.S. District Court against Cherice Dawn Klipfel states a passenger on the Sunday JetBlue Airways flight witnessed the mother striking, slapping, kicking and shoving her 8-year-old son. The complaint was filed by an agent for the Federal Bureau of Investigation because the alleged assault happened in an airplane and is under federal jurisdiction.

Records show Klipfel appeared in court Monday on a misdemeanor assault count. She did not enter a plea.
The complaint said two other passengers saw Klipfel “tightly cover” her son’s face and “shake him aggressively” while the boy cried.

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The 46-year-old is being held at the Davis County jail in Utah. Her attorney did not immediately return a call seeking comment on the case.

Klipfel Complaint by JeanLotus on Scribd

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Image Cherice Dawn Klipfel via Davis Co. Sheriff's Office

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