MIDDLETOWN, Ohio — A babysitter recorded sitting on and screaming at a crying 10-month-old baby was arrested Friday on a misdemeanor charge of child abuse, the Journal-News reported Monday.
Alyson Tester, 21, was a family friend of Corrie Beckett, who hired her to watch baby Owen in late 2018. According to Beckett, changes in Owen’s personality — he developed severe separation anxiety after months of normal behavior — spurred her to purchase a nanny camera.
What she saw confirmed her worst fears, she said Jan. 2.
"As mad as I was at what she was doing, I was also mad at myself for handing my son to her and had no idea of what was going on," she said.
Beckett handed the video to Middletown police, who were initially unsure whether the upsetting behavior constituted a crime.
They charged Tester with misdemeanor child abuse Jan. 30 and arrested her Friday after she failed to appear at a scheduled hearing.
Defense attorney Frank Schiavone IV argued Monday that, despite the video evidence, Beckett’s allegations against Tester were unsubstantiated.
