An Indiana babysitter, aged 31, has avoided prison time despite being found guilty of abusing and neglecting several children under her supervision, resorting to physical violence such as punching, slapping, and kicking when they misbehaved. On Thursday, Judge R. Scott Sirk of the Hancock County Circuit Court sentenced Meleiah Fisher to three years of house arrest, followed by 2 1/2 years of probation.
Fisher faced arrest in 2022, facing a total of 10 felony charges. These included several counts of neglect of a dependent leading to bodily harm and battery causing injury to an individual under the age of 14. She struck a deal with prosecutors, agreeing to plead guilty to five counts of neglect, which led to the dismissal of the other charges against her.
A report from the Greenfield Daily Reporter reveals that on September 15, 2022, a detective from the Greenfield Police Department answered a call from the Indiana Department of Child Services concerning suspected child abuse occurring at Fisher’s residence, where she provided babysitting services for several children.
When investigators reached her location, they allegedly engaged Fisher in a discussion regarding a child under her supervision who had sustained several injuries, such as bruises and abrasions on his forehead and nose. She asserted that the child sustained the injuries from a fall that occurred several days prior. She also recognized that a number of other children had sustained injuries, but clarified that they just tend to “play rough” when visiting her house.
