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Last updated on Friday, January 6, 2012
(LINTON) - A home health care worker has been arrested and charged with battering a 6-year-old cerebral palsy patient from Linton under her care.
Susan R. Johnson, 52, of Bloomington, was arrested Thursday at her residence on a charge of battery resulting in injury to a victim less than 14 years of age. Police are not releasing the name of the home health agency Johnson worked for.
A warrant for her arrest was issued Wednesday in Greene Circuit Court. She was released from the Greene County Jail in Bloomfield after posting 10 percent of a $4,000 surety bond. Her initial hearing is scheduled for next Wednesday.
The victim's father, James Howard, contacted Linton police Dec. 29 and reported his young daughter was being abused by Johnson, who was hired to care for the girl.
The child requires a feeding tube and a medicine port and needs constant care during the day when her parents are working. She was recently placed in a drug-induced coma to control seizures.
Howard told police he had concerns his daughter was being abused and hid a camera on Dec. 29. He told police he thought one of the workers were sleeping while taking care of his daughter.
Howard reviewed the tape the first day he set it up and told police he could not finish watching it because of the abuse his daughter suffered.
On the tape Johnson is throwing the girl into a chair and then tossing her out of the chair and onto the floor. She then rearranged the chair and threw the girl back into the chair with no regard for the support of her head or neck. She is then observed undressing the girl and jerking on her clothes and jerking on the girl's arm. It also shows Johnson alleged shoving the girl's head into the chair during a clothes change. Sometime during the alleged abuse the girl suffered an injury to her lip.
Linton Police Chief Troy Jerrell said all of the actions appeared to be deliberate.
"It's a disturbing case," Jerrell said. "Nothing speaks like a video tape. This case has been tough on the family and the officers. It is troublesome that things like this happen."
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