A Mahoning Township woman, who was accused of striking her daughter with a wooden baseball bat because she clogged the toilet, failed to appear in Carbon County Court on Monday for her sentencing proceeding and has had a bench warrant issued for her arrest. She is now in custody.

On Oct. 14, 2014, Christine Mertz, 40, pleaded to one count of simple assault before Judge Steven R. Serfass.Police were called to the Mertz home at 111C Jamestown St. on April 27, 2014.The daughter told officers that she was struck by a wooden baseball bat by her mother.The police report stated that the girl was struck twice, once on the right arm and once on the right leg. The girl said her mother struck her because she had caused the toilet to malfunction.The police also said the girl claimed she was bitten by her mother two times and that she was punched with a closed fist about 10 times.The girl was not seriously injured.Mertz also failed to appear for a court hearing in March on a petition she filed to withdraw her guilty plea.Defense Attorney Jennifer Rapa told Serfass yesterday that she had not heard from her client since before the hearing on her petition to withdraw her plea.Serfass, on motion of District Attorney Jean A. Engler, then issued a warrant for her arrest for failure to appear.