SHARE Crystal Lynn Marshburn (Knox County Detention Facility)

By News Sentinel Staff

KNOXVILLE — A mother is charged with felony child abuse after a police investigator witnessed the woman strike her infant daughter in the face, according to an arrest warrant.

Crystal Lynn Marshburn, 25, "forcefully" struck the 5-month-old girl while waiting at a crosswalk on Hall of Fame Drive near the Knoxville Civic Coliseum shortly before 8 p.m. Monday, the warrant states.

She then "appeared to shove something into the victim's mouth after striking the infant," the warrant reads.

The incident was witnessed by Investigator Phyllis Tonkin, with Knoxville Police Department's Special Crimes Unit.

Marshburn, who has no local criminal history, remained jailed in lieu of $5,000 bond Wednesday.

The child had a visible red mark on her face, the warrant states.

The girl has been placed in the custody of a family member, and the state Department Children's Services is investigating, agency spokesman Rob Johnson said Wednesday.

More details as they develop online and in Thursday's News Sentinel.