Lindsay E. Johnson of Herriman is being held in the Summit County Jail, without bail, accused of seriously injuring an infant she was hired to care for in November.
Charging documents say Intermountain Health Primary Children’s Hospital in Salt Lake City called the Summit County Sheriff’s Office Nov. 27 after physicians ruled injuries to a baby in the ICU were non-accidental.
The six-week-old child had brain bleeding, broken ribs and broken femurs, court papers say.
Prosecutors say the child’s symptoms are consistent with “shaken baby syndrome,” where an infant sustains internal injuries after being shaken by a caregiver, frequently to stop crying.
The court papers say the parents left their child overnight with Johnson at about 10:30 p.m. Nov. 26. They told the sheriff’s office the child seemed healthy when they left the house.
The parents told investigators they noticed something was wrong when returned to their home around 7:30 a.m. the following morning. The baby wouldn’t breastfeed and began having seizures.
Johnson was the only person to have contact with the child while the parents were away, the charging documents claim.
Primary Children’s physicians did not observe external trauma to the infant, and investigators say the hospital ruled out blood disorders that could cause similar symptoms. The child had been to a hospital six days before for a fever and did not show signs of trauma then.
The Summit County Attorney’s Office filed charges Dec. 2. Johnson faces five second-degree felonies, all of them for aggravated child abuse.
Each count carries a maximum prison sentence of 15 years and maximum fine of $10,000.
Johnson, who is from Vermont and moved to Utah one month ago, told sheriff’s deputies she holds certifications that allow her to work anywhere else in the country.
