Nanny accused of poisoning disabled boy with salt

MEMPHIS, Tenn. -- A West Tennessee nanny accused of putting large amounts of salt in the feeding tube of a disabled 8-year-old boy has been indicted on abuse and neglect charges.

Tiffany C. Johnson of Cordova was taken into custody Monday, Shelby County prosecutor Amy P. Weirich said in a statement.

The statement says Johnson, 31, took the boy to the hospital multiple times last year. Doctors say his sodium level was elevated each time, but he recovered.

The boy, who is in a wheelchair and unable to care for himself, suffered from numerous ailments that resulted in more than six hospital visits in less than half a year, reports CBS affiliate WREG.

Investigators said the boy only had episodes of the illness while in Johnson's care and that he hasn't had any incidents since Johnson left the nanny position in August.

A bond review hearing is set for her next week.

In another high-profile case involving alleged sodium poisoning, Lacey Spears of Scottsville, Ky., stands accused of killing her five-year-old son by forcing salt into a feeding tube in the boy's stomach. The child died at a New York hospital.

Jury selection in that case launched Monday.