Casper Mother Arrested for Child Abuse After Alleged Belt Strike to Five-Year-Old’s Face

A Casper woman faces a felony child abuse charge after police say she struck her five-year-old son in the face with the metal buckle of a belt, leaving visible bruises that investigators say matched the shape of the weapon.

According to court documents, the allegations against Alicia Adele Bournes emerged on October 3, when a concerned parent contacted authorities, reporting that Bournes had called his mother in distress. During the call, Bournes allegedly admitted to hitting her son with the metal part of a belt after discovering that he had urinated in a closet. She reportedly told the grandparent that she had been very worked up and insisted the incident was an accident.

When officers received the report, they were shown photos of a child with significant bruising on the left side of his face. The affidavit states there were two distinct injuries—a larger mark near the temple and a smaller one by the ear. “The larger mark resembled the buckle of a belt,” investigators wrote.

In interviews with police, the child reportedly said he had accidentally knocked over a baby gate onto his 18-month-old sister that morning. He told investigators that his mother became angry, accused him of being rude to his sister, and then hit him in the face with the belt’s metal end. “He screamed and his face hurt,” the affidavit recounts.

A six-year-old sibling corroborated hearing the boy cry out, “Ow, Mommy, it hurts!” though she said she did not witness the strike.

Records describe the belt as black with gold gems, an item that, according to the report, had been used previously as a form of discipline.

Bournes allegedly told the child’s father she had begun using the belt because the boy had been “urinating in places other than the bathroom” and exhibiting behavioral issues at school.

Bournes has waived her preliminary hearing and is currently out on a $15,000 cash or surety bond. An arraignment is scheduled for December 11, 2025.

She remains presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.

A public records request for a mugshot has been submitted to the Casper Police Department but was not readily available at the time of this publication.