Third District Court Judge Richard Mrazik ordered Lindsay Johnson to remain detained in the Summit County Jail without bail on Thursday. The 32-year-old woman, who has a 12-year career in child care, was charged with five counts of aggravated child abuse in November.Johnson was arrested by Summit County sheriff’s deputies after an infant in her care was admitted to Intermountain Primary Children’s Hospital with brain injuries, two fractured ribs and two broken femurs. Physicians in the pediatric intensive care unit told law enforcement the child’s injuries were caused by non-accidental trauma consistent with “shaken baby syndrome,” according to a probable cause statement.The infant’s parents told law enforcement they had left the baby with Johnson, who worked as the family’s night nanny, from around 10 p.m. on Nov. 26 until 7:30 the next morning. The parents stated the child was not responding appropriately and experienced seizures after being left in Johnson’s care overnight. The baby’s behavior prompted “them to take the child to a doctor where it was discovered the child had internal head trauma,” according to a report from the Sheriff’s Office.Johnson appeared in court on Thursday morning with her defense attorney to argue for pretrial release, a request Mrazik ultimately denied based on evidence that Summit County prosecutor Joseph Hill provided.“I have concerns, not only about, of course, the nature of the charges but about Ms. Johnson’s safety in the community, specifically as it relates to herself and other children she may come in contact with,” Hill explained.Hill said the state would not have a foolproof method of ensuring Johnson has no contact with children if she were to be released, which would potentially put other kids in the community at risk. He advocated for a solution, noting Johnson was also the a person of interest in a child-abuse investigation in August. In that case, a 3-and-a-half-week-old infant was taken to a medical facility in Vermont with “unexplained bruising,” according to Hill.“To be clear, there were no charges filed in that case. The state’s attorney declined to file charges against anybody, but I think it’s concerning that shortly thereafter, Ms. Johnson leaves Vermont and comes to Utah,” Hill said.Johnson stayed with a friend in Herriman when she moved to Utah in November, but residing with that friend is no longer an option. Hill said that increases Johnson’s flight risk.He added Johnson has struggled with self-harm and suicidal ideation in the past, pointing to two specific welfare checks in 2014 and 2019.“I know those are somewhat dated and, of course, treatment can change a person in the interim. However, it does show, I believe, a pattern of how Ms. Johnson deals with stressful situations,” Hill said.Hill said investigators had also found online searches on a device owned by Johnson inquiring about seizures after shaking a baby. The searches were allegedly entered before doctors had issued a CT scan and diagnosed the infant with a brain bleed.“With the other evidence involved, it paints a stronger picture that Ms. Johnson was the person that inflicted this injury on this child,” Hill said. “With that, your Honor, I will ask the court to keep her in custody pending trial.”Kathryn Conyers, Johnson’s defense attorney, argued that the medical records in the case needed to be reviewed by more than one doctor. She said there were still grounds to doubt Johnson’s involvement in the infant’s injuries. She asked Mrazik to consider other, less restrictive measures that could be implemented to address Hill’s concerns.“We have found a different apartment,” Conyers explained. “We have an address and a lease. That address is in West Jordan, quite nearby the West Jordan Courthouse but a little bit west of that. We’ve signed a three-month lease beginning tomorrow (Friday), and at the end of the three-lease term, it switches to a month-to-month rental.”Conyers suggested ankle monitors, home visits and conditions for release similar to those for sex offenders, including a curfew, no contact with the victims, no contact with children under the age of 5 and no entering places where children congregate, such as a school.She also said Johnson’s skills in child care could easily apply to other industries and allow Johnson to find employment elsewhere that does not involve being around kids.“This has been difficult, I’m certain, for this child, obviously for this child’s family. It’s also been difficult for Ms. Johnson,” Conyers said. “This is going to be a very long process. I’d love to speed it up as much as possible. … This could be a long, drawn-out process, despite all our best efforts to bring justice as quickly as possible. It may just be a while, and I don’t know that it’s appropriate to hold Ms. Johnson in custody this entire time based on these circumstances.”Mrazik agreed with the prosecution, noting that Johnson is facing five consecutive prison sentences of one to 15 years if convicted. All five charges are second-degree felonies.“The severity of that potential sanction creates a powerful incentive for a defendant to flee the jurisdiction, to hurt themselves or to do something else desperate,” Mrazik said. “Ms. Johnson, based on the record before the court, does not have strong ties to the state of Utah.”He also expressed concerns about Johnson’s ability to easily become a child care provider in other states if she were to flee.“She has previous ties to other states. She has a 12-year professional course of conduct of caring for kids,” Mrazik explained. “It’s a portable skill that she could do in other states. Those people hiring her in other states wouldn’t necessarily know about these charges. Her ability to leave and support herself in other places is far stronger than her ties to the state of Utah.”Mrazik ordered Johnson to remain detained without bail, although she will have 30 days to file an expedited repeal if she chooses. Prosecutors will meet with Johnson’s defense team on Jan. 24 to settle on a date for a preliminary hearing.The post Judge orders pre-trial detention for nanny accused of child abuse appeared first on Park Record.