GREENFIELD — A McCordsville woman who admitted she slapped a toddler left in her care will serve time on probation and take court-ordered anger management classes, records show.
A judge this week ordered Samantha Byrkett, 23, 7765 W. County Road 600N, McCordsville, to serve three years after she pleaded guilty to battering the toddler, whom she said she struck out of frustration because he was making a mess in her home, according to court documents.
Byrkett was arrested earlier this year and recently pleaded guilty to the one Level 5 felony count of domestic battery she faced, court records state.
This week, Hancock Superior Court 1 Judge Terry Snow ordered Byrkett to serve her sentence on probation, terms of which were outlined in a plea deal the woman accepted from prosecutors.
In addition to being monitored by a Hancock County probation officer, Byrkett is required to attend anger management and child-care classes organized by the Indiana Department of Child Services, records show.
Should Byrkett violate the terms of her probation, she will be sent to prison, the agreement states.
A Department of Child Services case manager came to Byrkett’s home in late last year after someone contacted the agency anonymously, expressing concerns about possible child abuse, records state.
The caller told investigators a child Brykett helped care for had bruises on his head, and Byrkett was giving conflicting stories about what happened to the boy, according to court documents.
When police arrived to investigate, they observed what looked like a handprint on the child’s face, as well as red marks and swelling near the child’s temple, according to court documents.
That prompted investigators to ask that the child be taken to Hancock Regional Hospital to be checked by doctors as a precaution, court documents state. Doctors there found no serious injuries, officials said.
When Byrkett was interviewed by police, she denied hurting the child, telling detectives he had fallen out of his crib and hit his head, according to court documents.
Later in the interview, she changed her story and admitted to striking the child, police say.
Byrkett told the officer she got upset with the child because he was pouring food onto the kitchen floor, court documents state. She said she did not intend to hurt the boy, court documents state.
Investigators said Byrkett expressed remorse during the interview at the Hancock County Sheriff’s Department for what happened and stated she needed help managing her temper, court documents state.
Byrkett formally pleaded guilty to the crime in late April and was sentenced Tuesday. She’ll begin her time on probation immediately. She’s been ordered to reimburse the court for some $180 spent related to her case, records show.