Charges: Babysitter Smoked Meth, Broke Baby Girl's Legs
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – A 42-year-old northern Minnesota woman is accused of smoking meth and breaking the legs of the infant girl she was babysitting.
Bridget Stately, of Bemidji, is charged with one count of third-degree assault and one count of child endangerment, court documents filed in Beltrami County show.
According to a criminal complaint, child's mother brought her 3-month-old daughter to the doctor Wednesday after the child appeared to have extreme pain in her legs. X-rays showed they were broken at the tibia.
The mother told police that her nanny camera showed Stately with the baby earlier that day. While trying to bottle feed the girl, Stately could be seen getting frustrated, grabbing the child's feet and twisting her ankles.
In an interview with police, Stately admitted to having anger issues and self-medicating with methamphetamine. She said that she smoked meth while babysitting Wednesday but told officers she blacked out and didn't remember hurting the child.
If convicted of both felonies, Stately faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison and/or a $10,000 fine.
She made her first court appearance Wednesday, and her bail was set at $5,000. She remains in Beltrami County Jail.
According to court documents, Stately has prior convictions for disorderly conduct, domestic assault and obstructing the legal process.
She is slated to return to court on Monday.