A Battle Ground High School counselor who was employed by the district since 2007 has been arrested on a charge of second-degree assault of her son, court records show.
On March 20, Dawn Pack, 39, made her first appearance in Clark County Superior Court. Pack faces a second-degree assault charge after allegedly assaulting a 9-year-old outside of her activities as a Battle Ground High School counselor. She is expected to appear before the court for an arraignment on April 3.
On March 14, a Battle Ground police officer responded to a call from the father of the victim after the man heard from the victim’s elder brother that he was being abused. The son said his brother was held down by Pack “with all her weight” with Pack’s forearm against the child’s neck.
The father said Pack is an alcoholic with numerous drinking-influenced incidents that involved law enforcement, according to the affidavit. He said Pack assaulted him in the past and noted she continued drinking after an alcohol monitor was removed.
The father said Pack removed in-house monitoring that prevented the victim from making a call to the father, according to the affidavit. The father said Pack was fine while not drinking, “but she always starts up again.”
When law enforcement learned of the situation, the victim was picked up from class at school, according to the affidavit. The victim stated the alleged abuse happened after he got home from school and he didn’t know what led to it.
The victim said Pack “dug her elbow into (his) throat,” the affidavit stated. He told investigators it hurt. He “could barely breathe at that time,” he later said.
The victim stated he tried to call his father during the altercation through the monitoring system but was not able to, the affidavit stated. The investigator noticed a “small red mark” on his neck, the affidavit stated.
Investigators attempted to contact Pack but were unable to speak with her initially, according to the affidavit. Court documents were unclear as to how she first appeared in court.
After Pack’s arrest, Battle Ground High School Principal Charbonneau Gourde put out a statement.
“While the charge is not related to her work as a counselor, she has been placed on administrative leave,” Gourde stated. “Counselors have a critical role in student success. During this period, we are working to ensure that our students and families continue to have access to a counselor and receive support.”
He said the school would reach out to families and students who worked with Pack to let them know which new counselor will provide services to their kids for the rest of the year.
“I know that this is a difficult situation for our students, families and staff, and I ask for your patience and understanding,” Gourde said. “We will continue working to support our students during this transition.”
