2/2005 Curlew, Washington Social Worker Attacked before Assailant Killed by Officer

A child Protection Service worker was severly injured after she was assaulted during a home visit. She had arrived with another CPS worker and a deputy to remove 3 children from the home. On a previous visit, the father, Bryan S. Russell, 35, had been warned that they children would be removed unless he improved the living conditions in their home. There was no electricity and no running water. The worker was assaulted with a 2X4 and then a machete. She suffered cuts, a broken arm and wrist and a possible skull fracture. A deputy was able to respond and shot the assailant, killing him at the scene. The three children, ages 1-5, witnessed the incident. The mother is also expecting another child shortly.
A 1994 survey Montana child-welfare workers, published in the journal Child Welfare, found that one in 10 had been hit on the job and a third of the workers had faced death threats. A quarter of the surveyed workers feared their own families could face job-related violence.