An Ohio babysitter has pleaded no contest to charges of scalding a baby girl with burning water and then failing to call for help while the 1-year-old suffered third-degree burns on the body.
Kimberly Richmond, 53, declined to fight the alarming charges against her on Monday, which means she will be convicted of felony child endangerment and sentenced without a trial, according to 3News.
She turned herself in to Akron police in early May, just days after the girl’s mother, Breanna Peterson, returned home to find her baby’s head, torso, legs, and arm severely burned on April 29.
Richmond had been caring for the girl while Peterson was away, and investigators believe she scalded her while attempting to bathe her in the shower.
“What we were able to gather initially on scene was that the child was bathed or given a shower at some point, and the water was so hot that it scalded her body,” said Akron Police Department Lt. Michael Murphy.
Richmond appears to have done nothing after burning the baby, as no paramedics or police were called, and she left the baby’s burns for her mother to find.
“My body was so weak, I couldn’t believe what I saw,” the mother told 3News, expressing her outrage at her daughter’s treatment.
“I trusted you with my child while I was away, and you let that happen to her. I can’t let it go. “I just can’t let this go,” she explained. “Can’t you grab my baby? Couldn’t you stop the water? Nothing? And just the bruises and spots. It isn’t adding up.
The girl had burns ranging from first to third degree all over her body, and heartbreaking images show her squalling in apparent agony while wrapped in bandages on a hospital bed.
“To cause such harm and pain to an innocent child, and then fail to get that child medical attention, is despicable,” Summit County Prosecutor Elliot Kolkovich said in a statement following Richmond’s no contest plea.
“This child’s life has been changed forever. “I hope this conviction will help her and her family continue their healing process,” he said.
Richmond was previously arrested and convicted of child engenderment and other charges in 2006, according to WOIO.
She’ll be sentenced on October 6.
