Toddler suffers third-degree burns after being left in hot bath water; Babysitter facing charge
A woman has been charged after allegedly causing a toddler to suffer severe burns while babysitting her.
Asia Dukes, 21, of Springfield, was charged on Wednesday with one count of endangering children, according to Clark County Municipal Court documents.
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On May 19, Dukes was watching a 14-month-old girl, who she’d watched multiple times before. She’d put the toddler in the bath while the water was still running and ran downstairs.
Dukes initially told police she was downstairs for 10 seconds, but then later said it was more like 60 seconds, according to a probable cause affidavit. While she was downstairs, she heard the child cry and went back upstairs to check on her.
When she got to the bathroom, she noticed the toddler’s skin peeling off her feet.
She then called the child’s mother and took her to the hospital. The child was later flown to Dayton Children’s Hospital for treatment for second and third-degree burns on different parts of her body, which were described by police as “permanent disfiguring injuries.”
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Springfield Police Division Sgt. James Byron told News Center 7 that the water in the tub was “extremely dangerous.”
“We don’t believe there was any intent in this case,” Byron said. “It was more negligence or malfeasance.”
Dukes was arrested on Tuesday and appeared in Clark County Municipal Court today, pleading not guilty to the charge filed against her.
We’re working to learn when Dukes will appear in court next.
