Baby sitter faces assault charges
A baby sitter could face a prison sentence after she was arrested Wednesday for allegedly dropping and shaking a 7-month-old infant who later was found to have a fractured skull.
The Flathead County Attorney’s Office has charged 24-year-old Kalispell resident Kimberly Butler with aggravated assault, assault on a minor and criminal endangerment.
She’s currently being held in the Flathead County Detention Center with bail set at $40,000.
The incident first was reported to the Kalispell Police Department June 5 by a caller who said the infant girl had a fractured skull.
A Kalispell Police detective spoke with the physician who treated the child and confirmed the injury.
An ophthalmologist further reported that the infant had sustained retinal hemorrhaging, an injury consistent with non-accidental trauma, according to court documents.
When questioned, Butler — who had been baby-sitting the child — initially denied that anything out of the ordinary had occurred.
She allegedly later admitted that she had dropped the infant, who then began screaming and crying. Butler said she picked the girl up around her chest, yelled at her and then shook her, according to court documents.
Butler told the detective she couldn’t remember how many times she shook the girl.
Multiple physicians told investigators that the injuries likely were sustained as a result of the infant being shaken and that an infant of the victim’s age could have died from such trauma.
“The physicians stated that the extent of the injuries will be unknown until [the infant] is older and her cognitive levels can be assessed more accurately,” according to court documents filed by the County Attorney’s Office.
Felony aggravated assault is punishable by up to 20 years in Montana State prison. Assault on a minor carries a penalty of up to five years and criminal endangerment is punishable by as many as 10 years in prison.
Butler’s bail is currently set at $40,000. She’s scheduled to be arraigned in Flathead District Court Sept. 1.