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Health Care Worker Charged With Battery Appears In Court

Last updated on Thursday, January 12, 2012

(BLOOMFIELD) - 53-year-old Susan Johnson, a health care worker charged with battering a 6-year-old Linton girl with cerebral palsy, waived her initial court hearing Wednesday morning.

Johnson was arrested last week at her Bloomington home on charges of battery resulting in injury to a victim less than 14 years old.

Police are not releasing the name of the agency Johnson works for. Johnson's lawyer Ron Chapman filed the waiver of an initial hearing in Greene Circuit Court. A pretrial conference was set for 8:30 a.m. on May 9 and a jury trial at 9 a.m. on May 29.

Johnson was released from the Greene County Jail after posting 10 percent of a $4,000 surety bond.

Johnson was arrested when the girl's father James Howard reported his child was being abused by Johnson. Johnson had been hired to care for the child while her parents worked.

The child required a feeding tube and a medication port. The child is also in a drug induced coma to control seizures, according to a probable cause affidavit.

Howard had concerns about his daughter and hid a video camera on Dec. 29 to record the actions of Johnson.

During the first day of recording, Johnson allegedly throws the girl into a chair and then tosses her out of it onto the floor. She then threw the girl back into the chair.

Later the same day Johnson is seen on the tape undressing the girl in a rough manner and shoves the girl's head into the chair, injuring her lip.

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