A 'mother' of the year candidate in Akron, OH., was arrested after a bizarre assault that involved her two sons, 11 and 15 years old; the youngest son, 11, became upset after allegedly being refused a cigarette and began "swinging a bicycle like a weapon."

Ohio.com says that Deanna J. Hillyer, 31, and her sons, ages 15 and 11, each face charges of assault and disorderly conduct following the attack early Monday evening outside a young adult center.

Police said the attack began this way: The victims, 22 and 18, were playing guitars in the alley around 6:30 p.m., waiting to go inside First Glance for its young adult program, when they became involved in a dispute with the 11-year-old.

Hillyer and her older son then drove into the alley and confronted the victims. Police said the 15-year-old took his younger brother’s bicycle, lifted it into the air and swung it as a weapon to strike the men.

Police said the 22-year-old was knocked to the ground and kicked by both boys. He suffered serious head injuries and was treated at Akron General Medical Center. The younger victim suffered minor injuries, police said.

Hillyer is accused of using a metal tire pressure gauge to hit the younger brother in the face.

A witness said she believes the 11-year-old became angry after the men declined to give him a cigarette. She said the boy’s mother didn’t try to stop the attack.

Hillyer was being held in the Summit County Jail. In 2011, she was indicted on a charge of misdemeanor child endangering after her fifth child, a 1-year-old female, fell out a second-story window. Court records indicate the case was closed a few months later but are unclear as to the resolution. A year earlier, she was charged with child endangering and entered a guilty plea to misdemeanor disorderly conduct, according to records. A 30-day sentence was suspended contingent on Hillyer following Children Services Board guidelines.

In the latest case, her sons were taken to the county Juvenile Detention Center.