Former babysitter convicted of abuse of infant

A babysitter arrested last summer for abuse against an infant was convicted Monday by a jury in Christian Circuit Court.

The jury found 41-year old Amanda Jo Hargis of White Plains guilty on two counts of second-degree child abuse and one count of third-degree child abuse.

She was sentenced by the jury to two years in prison and lodged in the Christian County Jail after having her bond revoked.

According to the original police report, Hargis was babysitting the victim in August when she called the parents and told them the infant’s tongue was bruised. The child’s tongue was notably swollen and bruised.  Hargis said that this was done by the infant’s three-year old older sibling with a pair of toy scissors, which the three-year old denied doing.

Footage from a camera placed in the living room showed Hargis grab the infant during a feeding while he was crying, pinning his arms behind his back and holding him in that position.

During the same day, Hargis is reportedly seen taking the infant who is crying to the middle of the room and then dropping him from approximately a foot in the air to the floor, causing a loud thud and more crying.