UPDATE: Biological father of 3 charged with assaulting Ronan daycare owner

His girlfriend, who allegedly joined in the assault and beat the daycare owner in the face with a snow shovel, remained at large Tuesday.

The victim of the assault was identified on a gofundme page as Martha McClure of Ronan, owner of Martha’s Mini Daycare.

Lake County Sheriff Don Bell said that in addition to knowing Jackson does not have legal custody of his children, and has been barred from having contact with them, McClure also believed Jackson to be intoxicated.

The daycare owner refused to allow him to take the three children, all of whom are under the age of 4, according to court documents.

In a court affidavit, Deputy Lake County Attorney James Lapotka said McClure “could smell the strong odor of alcohol coming from the defendant and she informed (Jackson) he needed to leave the daycare.”

Jackson became angry with McClure, Lapotka said, “and began calling her names and stated that he can take his kids whenever he wants and she can’t stop him.

“The defendant then, still inside the daycare full of children, stated that he was going to assault Martha.”

McClure was able to physically remove Jackson from the daycare and lock the doors, according to the affidavit.

But Jackson then began throwing toys in the yard, including a tricycle, at the daycare’s picture window “in an apparent attempt to regain entry,” Lapotka wrote.

Worried that the window would be broken, McClure went into the yard, arming herself with a snow shovel in an attempt to defend the children in her care.

The affidavit alleges Jackson took a swing at McClure and missed, but McClure lost control of the shovel as the two grappled in the yard.

That’s when a woman believed to be Jackson’s girlfriend allegedly joined in the assault, “and then hit Martha in the face with the snow shovel,” Lapotka said. “The shovel blow to the face caused Martha to lose her grip on (Jackson) and (Jackson) turned around and hit Martha in the face, causing her to fall to the ground.”

Jackson and his alleged accomplice then fled in a vehicle, according to Lapotka.

The gofundme page started Tuesday reported that McClure had surgery on an eye on Monday “and has a long road of healing ahead of her.”

“She is not only a loving, caring and very supportive mother but loves every child that is in her care as one of her own,” said the page, which seeks contributions to help McClure with “medical costs, lost wages, counseling, or anything she may need at this time.”

The page had raised more than $2,000 in its first five hours.

Bell said Arlen Auld, a former police officer with the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes who now works for the Kalispell Tribe of Indians' Public Safety Department in Usk, was instrumental in locating Jackson and taking him into custody.

“We were getting tips on where the male was, and contacted their office,” Bell said. “An officer (Auld) who used to work here helped track him down. He was getting tips as well, and got a search warrant.”

Bell said Jackson was picked up on a $100,000 warrant, and that another warrant was being prepared for the woman who allegedly joined in the assault.

Jackson waived extradition to Lake County Tuesday.

He is charged with felony aggravated burglary and custodial interference.

“A lot of people don’t realize if you enter an occupied structure and commit any crime, you can be charged with burglary,” Bell said. It becomes aggravated burglary, Bell said, because a weapon – the snow shovel – was allegedly used during the assault.

The three children had been removed from Jackson’s care by Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribal Child Protective Services prior to the Oct. 7 incident.

“Tribal court records indicate that (Jackson’s) parental rights have been suspended and that the Department of Tribal Social Services has temporary legal custody of the children pending adoption,” the affidavit says. Jackson “has been in an ongoing CPS case for the past three years and has been served court papers and orders indicating that his parental rights have been suspended and legal custody of the three children belongs to Tribal CPS.”