Staff reports 10:12 a.m.
Sunday, December 5, 2021 10:11 am
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DOVER - A Rochester woman has been indicted on second-degree assault charges in connection with alleged abuse of a child - who is now 10 - that went on for years.
Kristi Clement, 31, with a last known address of 5 Heaton St., is accused of strangling the boy by "applying pressure to his neck" and by "grabbing his neck and placing her hand over his mouth and nose."
Clement is also charged with several counts of simple assault, including "putting a rug over his head and pushing him into the ground," punching him on his arms and slapping his face. She is also accused of threatening to kill the boy or have him killed if he told anyone about the alleged abuse.
The second degree assault charges carry a maximum 30-year sentence, while the simple assault and criminal threatening charges are all enhanced misdemeanors, which carry a 2-5 year sentence.
All of the charges brought forward are alleged to have occurred between January 2018 and January 2021.
The Strafford County grand jury indictments were handed down on Nov. 18 and released last week.
An indictment is not an indication of guilt, rather that enough evidence has been presented to a grand jury to move forward to trial.