Oregon City Faith Healing Mom Pleads Guilty; Injured 2nd Child: D.A.

OREGON CITY, OR — Shannon Hickman, 37, was convicted Tuesday of criminal treatment in the first degree after she admitted slapping her nine-year-old son so hard that his nose bled, according to court records. Hickman, a member of the Oregon City-based Followers of Christ, a group that believes faith healing, was sentenced by Clackamas County Circuit Court Judge Susie Norby to 30 days of home confinement and two years of probation, court records show.

The sentence was part of a plea deal that reduced Hickman's crimes to a misdemeanor from a felony, according to court records. She must also get regular counseling for parenting skills.

In 2011, Hickman and her husband Dale Hickman, were sentenced to to six years in prison after being convicted of negligence in connection with the death of their son, who died hours after being born, according to court records.

The new case was brought in March 2021.

Prosecutors had said that Hickman was seen slapping her son so hard that his nose bled — while on a live video chat with a teacher who was conducting an assessment of how homeschooling was going.