WAUSAU, Wis. (WSAU) – A town of Maine babysitter who violated the trust of parents when she left children home alone twice last spring will spend 7 months in jail.
“Anybody serving in the child care business needs to know that there is zero tolerance for anything remotely related to what you did,” Judge Greg Grau said in imposing the jail time on Rhonda Piehl.
Grau sentenced Piehl to the three years probation that attorneys agreed to as a joint sentence. He also ordered her not to provide day care and to pay restitution to parents who lost time at work during the incident last April.
The sentence satisfied parents, many of whom brought their children to court, who said the recommended probation was an outrage and slip on the wrist.
“Our family will never fully trust any day care provider again,” said Denise Kummerow, whose daughter was among the children police found left unattended.
Kummerow and other parents told the same story that their children have been emotionally and psychologically scarred with the fear of abandonment by what Piehl did.
“This was a recipe for disaster,” said district attorney Ken Heimerman.
Piehl offered a very short, tearful apology to parents before she was sentenced.
“I’m deeply sorry for what I’ve done,” she sobbed. “I didn’t intend to cause any harm and take full responsibility for what I’ve done.”
