Dotty Reed wasn't really thinking about what she was doing; 9-month-old critical

[Dakota Valkyrie]

Dotty M. Reed, 18, is being held on $150,000 bail, while the 9-month-old baby boy remains in critical condition at Children's Hospital, where he has been since Thursday.

Auburn Police Sgt. Scott Near said the baby's mother dropped him and his sibling off at Reed's home at 7:30 a.m. Thursday. At 9 a.m. that morning, Reed called 911 and said the baby was having trouble breathing.
[...]

In court documents, Reed told detectives that she had been watching the infant since February, when the parents answered an ad she had posted on the Craigslist website. But Reed said over the past three weeks, she had been getting frustrated with the infant due to his fussiness, documents said. She added the baby didn't appear to like her at all and cried every time she looked or talked to him, or even came into the same room.

Documents say Reed considered ending the babysitting agreement, but hadn't done so yet and that the frustration reached a boiling point on Thursday when the baby became fussy in his walker. Reed told detectives she grabbed him roughly out of the walker, and brought him back to her bedroom, where the baby started crying loudly. She said she put him down on the floor, setting him down so hard that his head snapped forward, documents said.

Once she set up a playpen, she grabbed the baby roughly from under her arms and spun him around to face her, and put him down hard in the playpen on his bottom, where he fell backwards, documents said.

She said the baby started crying differently, then stopped crying and seemed to go to sleep, but his breathing pattern changed, prosecutors wrote. Reed said when she picked up the baby, he was limp and that's when she called 911.

Reed's mother and grandparents were sleeping in separate rooms at the time and detectives said Reed never summoned help from any of them during the incident.

Over the weekend, Reed's family claimed that the infant's injuries were likely from a car accident the baby was in about a month ago, but doctors at Children's Hospital told detectives the injury to the baby was something that happened from an immediate event.

The babysitter has a 2-year-old child of her own, who was taken into protective custody, Near said.

Prosecutors say they could upgrade charges to murder if the baby doesn't pull through.

http://www.katu.com/news/94976044.html

"The defendant committed an extremely serious assault against (the boy), who she was supposed to be caring as his babysitter," Senior Deputy Prosecutor Charles K. Sergis told the court. "Instead, the defendant inflicted an injury on (the boy) that he may not survive.

"If he does survive, it is extremely unlikely that he will ever be able to care for himself, walk, talk, eat or enjoy any meaningful quality of life."
[...]

She claimed she heard a sound as his head snapped forward, police assert. He began crying and then sleeping, then began breathing strangely.

"Reed said that was when she realized that she had hurt him," Auburn Detective Michelle J. Vojir said in charging documents. "She stated that she put (him) down too hard and turned him around too quick and hard and that shook him.

"Reed stated that when she did it she wasn't really thinking about what she was doing, that it just happened."

http://www.seattlepi.com/local/420679_baby26.html

[seductress]

I completely understand getting frustrated with babies, especially ones that you are paid to take care of, but there is a point when you just simply say enough and admit you can no longer take care of this child.
I am so thankful that hubs family is willing to watch the new baby and we have really great friends that are so ready to volunteer.

This baby will probably never have any quality of life and that deserves a life sentence for the sitter

[RowensBones]

So harsh! Poor little guy! Wishing you a miracle!

[Nell]

I used to run a daycare out of my home. I had one lady that had 2 boys ages 3 and 1, and a girl, age 7. That girl. She was awful. She hit, she bit, she lied. She would push the little ones down and lie about it even when i saw her. SHe broke things. I watched her for a month and the last straw was when she upended a table full of snacks i had just put out, knocking my own 1 year old over. But I didn't beat her. I took a deep breath and when her mom got there told her that i would be glad to watch the boys but that she had to make other arrangements for her daughter. I felt awful but she agreed and said this had happened before and that she was just glad i told her straight out that i couldn't handle it.

That i what idiot Dotty should have done. I am sure she didn't mean to hurt him, but the fact is he is hurt and she did it. For that she deserves jail for a good long time. She knew better. I bet she wouldn't have handled her own kid so forcefully.

[Valasca]

This is why i do not have children, nor do i want any.
Either I would be on the front page, or my babysitter would be.
Of course I'd like to THINK i wouldn't act like this, but with my temper, I just don't know.

[shyloh]

It's sad that people cannot be trusted with your child these days. And very sad that both parents have to work.

[Silvahalo]

"If he does survive, it is extremely unlikely that he will ever be able to care for himself, walk, talk, eat or enjoy any meaningful quality of life."

I had a good year and 1/2 that put me to the edge with my own son. I love him, adore him, but DAMN it was brutal. He was going thu a very tough time with his speech disorder, real hard shit for both of us. Thing is I was very isolated too hubs was working very long hours so my days were seemingly unending. With out a doubt I understand frustration and being pushed so hard you scream, not think of doing it, you really do scream. Yes, I get that so well it gives me shivers.

What this woman did was more than a rough drop on his bottom, way more as he sustained severe brain damage. It is absolutely unforgivable. She says she had weeks feeling she couldn't handle baby and felt like he didn't even like her. She then had a responsibility to end her care over this child for her sanity and his safety. Now, there is no taking back what has been done and even if he lives his life is over. How do you say sorry to that?

Heal completely little one in every way.

[proudmom]

what pops out at me on this one is that it said this babysitters mother and grandparents were in the other room. surely if she had awoken one of them and said he is just too much can u help me for a min... they would have...

And if she has a a 2 year old child that puts her at 16 when she became a mom and possibly 15 when she got pregnant... im not saying that it matters here, im just sayin it.

[Whisper]

Parents Of Injured Baby Hold Vigil At Seattle Children's
SEATTLE - Little Colby has been at Children's Hospital for three weeks - with head injuries prosecutors say were caused by his teenage babysitter at her home in Auburn.

A family spokesperson says the 9-month-old from Pacific is showing some improvement, but won't be leaving the hospital anytime soon. Meanwhile his parents are at his bedside night and day and unable to work.
[...]
The woman who was babysitting Colby, Dotty Marie Reed has pleaded not guilty to injuring him. Her trial is expected to begin June 24th.

http://www.q13fox.com/news/kcpq-0608...,5106080.story

Colby

[cheeseburgersanchez]

This makes me sad. Dotty Reed was the name of my grandmother's best friend. When I was small I would go to her house and she and I would make cookies together, and she would tell me that I was always welcomed and loved wherever she may be.
That is what this little one deserved, but this Dotty Reed doesn't seem to have basic human decency.
Also, Maybe I am just a snob, but I would never go to craigslist in search of childcare. I have never encountered a normal person there. Even the guy that fixed our Xbox was kind of nutty.

[this is going badly]

It's sad that people cannot be trusted with your child these days. And very sad that both parents have to work.

They hired a babysitter from craigslist. And apparently they chose one that is crazy.

the baby didn't appear to like her at all and cried every time she looked or talked to him, or even came into the same room.

Poor baby. When we needed child care we ran criminal background checks and called at least three of the references and even made sure the sitter lived at the address she gave us!

[Southern Sin]

I think she should be chucked off her bridge with a rope ( not an elasticated one duh!!) around her ankles... it will give her a good indication of how a neck "snapping" forward feels

[nevershake]

http://www.auburn-reporter.com/news/136829028.html

Babysitter pleads guilty to assault of a child
By ROBERT WHALE
Auburn Reporter News reporter
January 6, 2012 · 12:28 PM


inShare.03commentsEmail StoryPrint StoryEmail AuthorLetter/EditorDotty Marie Reed pleaded guilty Jan. 6 to assault of a child first degree for assaulting a then nine-month-old baby she'd been babysitting on May 20, 2010 in Auburn.

Judge Cheryl Carey will sentence Reed, now 20, at 9 a.m., Feb. 1 at the Norm Maleng Regional Justice Center. Reed could spend between 93 and 123 months in prison. Prosecutors will recommend 123 months.

The baby, Colby Thompson, survived but is disabled.

According to court documents, Reed was babysitting Colby and his older sister May 20, 2010 at her home when she called 911 to report that the child would not wake up and would stop breathing when she laid him down. Arriving Valley Regional Fire Authority medics found the baby unresponsive and limp. Medics airlifted the baby to Seattle Children's Hospital, where doctors diagnosed him with a subdural hematoma, a subarachnoid hemorrhage and retinal hemorrhaging, injuries that didn't mesh with Reed's claim that she'd only set him down on the floor too hard. Prosecutors said that only Reed could have caused such injuries.

According to court documents, Reed admitted to detectives that she'd been frustrated with the child for weeks because of his fussiness. She said it appeared that he didn't like her.

Auburn Police Detective Michelle J. Vojir said in charging documents that Reed picked the boy up roughly from under his arms and put him down on the floor of her bedroom "really hard," whereupon she heard a sound as his head snapped forward. He began crying and then stopped, appearing to fall asleep. She told detectives that she was standing by his playpen when she noticed that he wasn't breathing."Reed said that was when she realized that she had hurt him. She stated that she put (him) down too hard and turned him around too quick and hard and that shook him. Reed stated that when she did it, she wasn't really thinking about what she was doing, that it just happened," Vojir wrote.

Last year Gov. Chris Gregoire signed the Colby Thompson Act of 2011 to protect children and ease the minds of concerned parents throughout the state. An expansion of existing law, the Act increased transparency so the public could know the licensing status and violations of any given facility before enrolling their child, not after. The Department of Early Learning already required most child care providers to be licensed. Few avenues, however, existed for parents to research the licensing history, including violations, of prospective facilities.

Colby’s parents, Chris and Jamie Thompson of Pacific, were key to passage of the bill.