A 31-year-old Indiana babysitter will not face prison time for assaulting and neglecting many children in her care, striking, slapping, and kicking them when they misbehaved. Hancock County Circuit Court Judge R. Scott Sirk sentenced Meleiah Fisher to three years of house arrest and an extra two and a half years of probation on Thursday, according to court papers.
In 2022, authorities arrested Fisher and charged her with 10 felonies, which included multiple counts of neglect of a dependent leading to physical injury and battery causing bodily harm to a minor under the age of fourteen. However, she made an agreement with prosecutors to plead guilty to five counts of neglect in exchange for the dismissal of the remaining accusations.
According to the Greenfield Daily Reporter, on September 15, 2022, a detective with the Greenfield Police Department responded to a call from the Indiana Department of Child Services about possible child abuse at Fisher’s residence, where she babysat for several children.
When detectives arrived at Fisher’s home, they reportedly asked her about a youngster in her care who had sustained various injuries, including bruising and abrasions to his forehead and nose. She revealed that the child had suffered injuries from a fall severShe acknowledged that several other children had sustained injuries, but asserted that they merely engage in rough play at her home.at her home.
However, when authorities interrogated the children, they offered details that contradicted Fisher’s statements. One of the children even gave authorities a physical example of the abuse by acting it out for detectives.
“[The victim] stood up and began kicking his legs and throwing his arms while grunting,” the affidavit states, according to Indianapolis Fox affiliate WXIN. “[The victim] stated that is what Meleiah [Fisher] does when she is mad.”
When another child’s mother asked him how Fisher punished children who misbehaved at her house, including his younger sibling, the boy reportedly said, “Mom, you get beat up,” including being “punched” or “slapped” if he “spills something or makes a mess.”
Professionals at Zoey’s Place Child Advocacy Center examined the victim and found that, when asked how Fisher disciplined his brother, he repeated the same response.
“She beats him up,” officers stated in the arrest record, according to the Daily Reporter.
Authorities stated that just a few of the youngsters under Fisher’s care were old enough to talk and testify about the abuse.