Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
WEST JORDAN — A woman who was babysitting a 4-month-old boy has been arrested after police say the toddler was found to have suffered two brain bleeds.
Leslie Ann Percell, 51, was booked into the Salt Lake County Jail on Tuesday and charged later in the afternoon with three counts of aggravated child abuse, a second-degree felony.
The investigation began in December when police were notified by the Division of Child and Family Services that a 4-month-old boy had been admitted to Primary Children's Hospital because he was "vomiting and had a large bruise in his left ear after picking him up from the babysitter's house," a police booking affidavit states.
The boy remained in the hospital for three days.
"I was informed (the boy) had two brain bleeds, one that appeared to have been in a healing process and one new brain bleed. (He) also had a broken right occipital bone, retinal hemorrhage in both eyes, and bruising. Physicians documented this as suspected child physical abuse," the arresting officer wrote in the affidavit.
Charging documents filed Tuesday further state that "doctors found that the victim had a skull fracture. ... Doctors concluded that the collection of injuries displayed by the victim are consistent with abusive head trauma."
The boy's parents told police that the other time their son was "vomiting and acting strangely" was in October after they had picked him up from the babysitter's home, according to the affidavit. Doctors at Primary stated that the brain bleed that was healing was consistent with it occurring about that same time.
Police questioned Percell on Jan. 17, and found she was caring for four children in her home. She contended that she "did not shake, drop, or hit (the boy's) head on anything while in her care. (Percell) denied anything happening to (the boy) while at her house," according to the affidavit.
On Tuesday, however, Percell was taken into custody. Prosecutors say she "runs an unlicensed daycare out of her home," according to the charges. Utah law allows unlicensed child care providers to take care of no more than six unrelated children at once.
