WAUSAU, WI (WSAU) — A former Wausau daycare provider who ran an unlicensed in-home facility after being let go from multiple other providers will be sentenced on Friday for child abuse charges.
Merisa Wagner will appear in court at 1:30 PM to be sentenced by Judge LaMont Jacobson for two felony counts of child abuse. The 33-year-old was originally facing three counts, but one will be dismissed as part of a plea deal.
Wagner is accused of shaking a 16-month-old girl who was in her care. She reportedly told police the child had fallen, but doctors found bleeding on her brain and other indications of abuse.
That incident occurred in 2018. News of that incident brought to light two other incidents that came to light from 2015 and 2017, neither of which made it to trial.
Friday’s sentencing will be the end of what has been a lengthy court proceeding. Charges filed in 2018 and the case was scheduled for trial in 2019, but there were several delays or postponements. One of these came in early 2020 when a judge determined that the prosecution must disclose all medical records to the defense team.
There were also attempts at a jury trial in December 2020 and April 2022. The most recent attempt came last July.
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Wagner was known as Merisa Sell. Court records show her divorce was recently finalized, leading her to return to her maiden name.
A presentence investigation was filed earlier this week. She faces a total of 46 years in prison and $110,000 in fines after pleading no contest to the charges last summer.
