A former worker at Mount Olive child care center was sentenced on Friday for charges of endangering the welfare of a child after she admitted to assaulting and fracturing the skull of a 16-month-old girl while she was caring for her earlier this year, the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office announced.
Christina Susco, 38, of Budd Lake, will serve 90 days in the Morris County Correctional Facility. Her sentence also includes five years of probation.
Susco must abide by all New Jersey Division of Child Protection and Permanency recommendations, undergo a mental health evaluation and can not have contact with the victim, her family or with the Mount Olive Child Care & Learning Center, where she was fired.
The Budd Lake resident pleaded guilty on Nov. 18, 2024 to one count of third-degree endangering the welfare of a child.
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These charges stem from an incident that occurred on March 25, 2024 at Mount Olive Child Care & Learning Center, where she was employed as a teacher and caregiver at the time.
During the trial, Susco admitted she had “firmly” placed the child down when the toddler hit her head on the ground. The child was taken to Morristown Medical Center, and was diagnosed with a left occipital condyle fracture, which typically occurs at the base of the skull due to high-energy blunt force trauma, according to medical websites.
Court records show Susco was arrested on May 6, 2024 after she admitted to “unintentionally” injuring the child after she got “frustrated” and “overwhelmed” while caring for her.
On the day of the incident, Susco was seen changing the girl’s diaper, feeding her and taking her outside to play, according to arrest documents previously obtained by the Daily Record.
Surveillance cameras did not capture the incident, but detectives said, “Susco engage in a motion consistent with placing [the child] on the ground” and after that saw the child’s feet “flailing close to the ground.” The child reappeared on camera walking while crying and wobbling, the documents said.
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Morris child care worker gets 90 days, probation for child assault