An Indiana babysitter who abused multiple children in her care has now been sentenced.
Meleiah Fisher has avoided being sent to prison. Instead, Hancock County Circuit Court Judge R. Scott Sirk ordered the 31-year-old to serve three years on house arrest. Fisher will also serve an additional two-and-a-half years on probation.
Fisher was found guilty of abusing and neglecting the children, including punching, slapping, and kicking the victims, according to court documents obtained by Law and Crime.
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Fisher was arrested in 2022 and charged with 10 felonies. These included multiple counts of neglect of a dependent resulting in bodily injury and battery resulting in bodily injury to a person under the age of 14.
Fisher reached a plea deal and agreed to plead guilty to five counts of neglect, with the remaining charges being dismissed in exchange. Fisher was arrested after a detective with the Greenfield Police Department responded to a call about alleged child abuse taking place at her home.
She used her home as a place to babysit multiple children. Investigators questioned Fisher about a child she cared for who had suffered injuries, including bruising and abrasions to his forehead and nose.
Fisher claimed the child was injured after falling. She then admitted several other children had been injured in her care, but accused the kids of “playing rough”.
Investigators then interviewed the children who had a different story to tell, with one child acting out one of Fisher’s attacks. “[The victim] stood up and started kicking his legs and throwing his arms,” the affidavit said. The child told investigators “that is what Meleiah does when she is mad”.
Another child said they “get beat up” if they acted out while in Fisher’s care. The young boy said this included being “punched or slapped” if they made a mess in the home.
The boy was also asked by professionals at Zoeys Place Child Advocacy Center about how Fisher disciplined his brother. “She beats him up,” he told the professionals.
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