Babysitter accused of slapping baby
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Dothan, AL (Dothan Eagle) — Dothan woman was arrested for allegedly abusing a 1-year-old child she was babysitting on Halloween night.
Mariya Clifftianna Stoddart, 19, is being charged with willful abuse of a child, according to police records.
Dothan Police Lt. Scott Owens said the baby’s mother asked Stoddart, a family acquaintance, to watch her child on Oct. 31 at her residence in the 1300 block of Bruce Street.
“While the suspect was there, she pushed the baby’s head into the bedrail, slapped the baby in the face, and grabbed the baby by the neck,” Owens said. “These caused visible bruises that the mother saw when she got the child back, and that’s when the investigation started.”
Owens said there were several people who had apparently come into contact with the baby over the period of time it had been abused. Through the investigation, officers determined Stoddart was the likely culprit.
An arrest warrant was signed on Nov. 4, but Stoddart was not arrested until Monday when officers responded to a disorderly person’s call at a local business.
Stoddart’s bond was set at $15,000.
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