FARMINGTON – A woman was arrested and charged with felony assault after police say she injured a 5-year-old boy while she was babysitting him.
Megan White, 22, of Farmington, was arrested Thursday after Officer Ryan Wagner and Sgt. Edward Hastings IV, both of the Farmington Police Department, were notified by the state’s Department of Health and Human Services of an alleged assault on a 5-year-old that had taken place at the boy’s residence in Farmington, said Police Chief Jack Peck.
The officers conducted an investigation and then arrested White on charges of felony assault and violating a condition of release in connection with a previous and unrelated domestic violence assault allegation.
According to the police report, “the boy was grabbed by the legs, pulled off the bed and that caused bruising on his face,” Peck said. “He was also slapped.”
On Friday, White was released from the Franklin County Detention Center on personal recognizance bail.
this is very sad. As in the other case of the child burned—the community needs take a long hard look at the traditions/ patterns of behavior passed from generation to generation that lead to these unfortunate incidents. People do not spontaneously start have trouble managing their anger and acting out aggression on other adults, animals, or children ( barring illness or brain trauma that can cause drastic changes in behavior) People are treated this way themselves as children and/or they see others behaving this way—and even though they may know that it is wrong, the patterns of learned/conditioned behavior over ride the better judgment. It is very difficult to change these traditions of aggression/violent discipline—the community as a whole needs to step and choose to teach change/ implement change for the coming generations.
Does this ever end? Are we circling the drain as a society? We live in the nicest place in the world yet it’s getting so hard to even read the Bulldog.
David, I hear ya but I really think it’s a matter of more people reporting the abuse. If anything, I think there is more enlightenment but still not enough. Children have long been considered second class citizens and easy targets.
This is quite sad all around and I hope this young child will be OK.
Did anyone not know of her previous allegation before allowing her to sit with him?
This is why we entrust our child care to only people who we know and trust .. And a back ground check does not hurt either..
Sometimes even the ones we know and trust can be the abusers. Unfortunately you never know. So sad.
I agree with Lisa. There was a lot more crime in the 60’s and 70’s, people just weren’t caught or the matter wasn’t reported, therefore gaining no attention.
While there is a lot of abuse out there, just because a kid gets a spanking DOES NOT mean it’s abuse. Turning kids out into society who have no clue how to follow the rules or putting them on some drug and then the rest of us end up supporting them for the rest of their lives is very much abuse in my book. This lady may very well have crossed the line, only time will tell, but again just because there was a spanking involved doesn’t neccesarily mean there was abuse. It could have been just what was needed.
Did you read the article Frank. The boy had bruises on his face. That is not what anyone would describe as a spanking. The boy was assaulted by someone at least twice his size.
There is a huge difference between disciplining a child and abuse, but since it took our society way too long to recognize this the pendulum has swung from not paying attention to every form of discipline/punishment is abuse. Before slamming this young woman in the media think of your own childhood (or your kids) I’m sure we were all pulled off a bed or couch because we weren’t doing what we were told to,… and a slap that has various levels as well. A huge temper tantrum from a 5 yo can be extremely violent to a caretaker who in the moment reacts and in hindsight realizes they should have walked away. We are so quick to judge and convict and never forget. What has happened to both sides of the story? Once it hits the front page the other side is a moot point.
Thank you Frank & George.
I would also like to add that most 5 year old boys are constantly getting bruises by simply being little boys.I really hope that they are completely sure that any bruising was caused by the incident before blaming the sitter.
For real, Frank? No one has the right to “spank” someone else’s child. That is up to the parents/guardians. Plus, too many people confuse a beating with a spanking. There are better ways to discipline than spanking. This case does not sound anything like a spanking. NO CHILD deserves this. No matter what they did or didn’t do.
I see that a lot of you think she may have just been disciplining him, and if this were a mother of the child that might be the case. But she is the BABYSITTER. In no situation is it ok for a babysitter to physically discipline a child. What would you do if you came home to your son or daughter crying because they were slapped after saying a bad word, or not cooperating at bed time. I highly doubt you would thank the babysitter for taking on the responsibility of discipline.
Anonymous
Great comment!
I am old…60…my parents never laid a hand on us kids. Didn’t have to..we knew, when they spoke, that they meant what they said, and we did as we were told. Now a days, kids run the household. If they don’t like something they throw a fit, tantrum, and threaten to call DHS! ( I worked in childcare for over 20 years, I have seen and heard it all) Myself, nor my siblings, have ever hit our children, nor our children hit theirs. Hitting a child, makes then think its ok to hit, and the cycle continues…
So, George, Frank & chickadee your saying it is OK for a BABYSITTER to hurt your child? Not ok in my book! I would not do it to my own child/grandchild/niece/nephew, or any child, so no one else had better either!
@Susie-No, I am not saying its o.k. for a sitter or anyone else to hurt a child. I am saying that small boys are always getting scrapes and bruises. I think people are quick to judge. They should make sure the bruise in question was caused by deliberate action.There IS a difference between discipline and abuse. I think most people are too afraid to even discipline nowadays for fear of being accused of abuse,which I think is why a lot of kids are so out of control. And what are you supposed to do now when a child with issues is throwing a fit, hurting himself or others or destroying things? If you grab hold of him to stop him and he struggles and it leaves marks is that abuse? Do you let the child run out into traffic or let him destroy things?-Sounds like your family was lucky none of the kids had autism, bipolar,ADHD or oppositional defiant disorder.
As i said in my first post, this lady may very well have crossed the line. My point was that it seems like any kind of discipline today is seen as some kind of abuse. I’ve heard many a teacher tell stories of spending far too much time with one or two kids who have no clue how to behave and neglecting the rest of the class and if they do send them to the office where there used to be a punishment for misbehaving now a days they baby them and make evrry excuse under the sun as to why they did what they did. We are losing a lot of good teachers, bus drivers, coaches etc. because they are tired of being disrespected and having the “F” bomb thrown at them by kids as youing as 8 or 9 years old and too many of those in postions of authority don’t have the guts to do the right thing and come down on these kids with any kind of real punishment. Oh and by the way, it’s easy enough to hide behind a “screen name”, so i would suggest the the Bull Dog require people to use their real name when coming on a site like this regardless of the topic.
No-one ever falls so low as when they stoop to hurt a child.
Though it is unpleasant to hear about such things happening, we all know they do, and it is important to be aware of such things, and try to stop them and prevent them, and not turn away or sweep them under the rug. Whatever the circumstances of this case, there are some very sick people out there, in every state, who need to be stopped and dealt with, and some children who desperately need protection. We’ve all known it all of our lives. Human nature is not always kind.
Everyone just needs to relax and not jump to conclusions. We have a judicial system here in the good ole USA, let them sort it out. Was this discipline or abuse? No one on this forum knows.
That all being said, there is absolutely NOTHING wrong with spanking as a form of discipline for a child. If you dont believe me, contact your local law enforcement officer. Now there is a fine line between discipline and abuse. I can say growing up I was more than a little hard headed, and it earned me a belt across the butt. You know what, I’m a better person for it. I learned discipline and respect, and I thank my parents for it. I couldn’t imagine where my life would have lead without it.
As far as someone other then a parent or custodial guardian issuing discipline. Again, I see no problem with it with in reason. I can remember going over to a friends house as a child and my folks saying if he gets out of line spank him. There is nothing wrong with that! Children dont need to respect just their parents, but everyone.
Seems to me this country started going down hill with children born after the mid to late 80’s due to a lack of discipline. Kids just running wild, doing as they please with no recourse. Only to turn 18 and end upnin prison with the American tax payer paying for them. We used to be a country of ethics and respect, now we’re the laughing stock of the world. For those that dont want “spanking” as a form of discipline, I suggest this. Make this country similar to oh, I dont know, say Germany. Mandatory military service after high school. Young adults can then learn discipline from drill sergeants.
I never said I condoned any form of violence against a child; I simply said there is probably much more to the situation and not to convict this woman until the whole story is known. Unfortunately no matter what the actual situation was she has been tried, found guilty of crimes against a child and convicted by the public – all of us who have an opinion without knowing the facts. I am amazed there are so many people who are so quick to judge others but just keep in mind that one day your actions may come into question (or a situation involving one of your family members) and you too will treated in this same manner. People do not forgive nor forget.