Jury Finds Babysitter Guilty Of Neglect
November 5, 2020 at 3:00 a.m.
By Amanda Bridgman-
Theresa S. Bumblis, 29, of 1054 N. Park Ave., Warsaw, appeared in front of Judge Joe Sutton and a jury of six men, six women and one male alternate to try her case stemming from August 2017. Kosciusko County Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Joseph Sobek represented the state.
According to the probable cause affidavit in the case, on Aug. 8, 2017, police responded to a call after Lauren Wilson found more than 30 bite marks on her 18-month old daughter after being in the care of Bumblis. Wilson’s other child, her 3-year-old son, had been picked up around noon that day from Bumblis’ residence after Bumblis texted Wilson and said her son had been bitten by another child at the home that had a biting problem.
Wilson picked up her daughter around 5 p.m. that day, according to her testimony in court, and said when she got to Bumblis’ home, Bumblis seemed unaware Wilson was going to be arriving and said she’d go get the child from her nap. Wilson said neither of her children have ever taken four-hour naps, and so she followed Bumblis to get her daughter. Bumblis led Wilson through the home and into the master bedroom closet, according to court testimony, where Wilson said her daughter was in all alone with the door shut.
“I knew immediately something was wrong by the look in her (daughter’s) eyes,” Wilson said. “She looked exhausted … she didn’t look right.” She further testified that her daughter’s diaper was soaking wet. “It didn’t appear she’d been changed at all,” Wilson said.
She then got back on the golf cart she used to drive to the home – Bumblis and Wilson lived in the same neighborhood – and drove to her grandmother’s home. Her grandmother, Myra Barnett, testified Wednesday that Wilson had showed up seeming upset and went to change the child’s diaper on the golf cart, and that is when they discovered the massive amount of bite marks.
“I looked and all I could say was, ‘Oh my God, oh my God,’” Wilson said. She then hopped back on the golf cart with her husband, Mike, and the child and went back to Bumblis’ home to confront her.
“I didn’t even knock, I walked right in,” Wilson said. “I stripped (the child) down” and asked what happened.
According to Wilson, Bumblis said, “I don’t know, I don’t know, I didn’t know a kid was capable of that.”
While the Wilsons were doing that, Barnett called police.
The Wilsons’ son had two bite marks on his butt, one on his knuckles and one on his right shoulder. Wilson said she phoned the children’s pediatrician and her daughter still has a scar on her stomach from the incident, and it took nearly two months for the marks to go away.
During the cross-examination of Wilson, Bumblis asked for a mistrial and claimed Wilson was lying and conspiring with Bumblis’ ex-husband to “take her down and quick” and that her case should be dismissed and Wilson should be charged with conspiracy. Bumblis also speculated she may not get a fair trial because the Barnett and Wilson family - through their business - are connected to law enforcement and attorneys.
Sutton took note of Bumblis’ objections throughout the day and at the end told Bumblis that her failure to get evidence admitted into court due to her lack of understanding of the law is a risk of coming to court unrepresented.
The state’s next witness was former Kosciusko County Sheriff’s Office Lead Det. Todd Sautter. Sautter said he conducted an interview with Bumblis following the incident, and that interview was played for the jury.
In the interview, Bumblis tells Sautter the children were napping in her bedroom, but not in the closet, although she admitted they sometimes played in her closet and passed out from playing because they were so tired. Bumblis also told the detective she didn’t know that the child with the biting problem had a problem or that the child had been to several different babysitters because of it. However, Bumblis did know that the child had a biting problem, according to court testimony, because the child had bitten another child weeks prior in Bumblis’ home.
Bumblis said she never heard any crying from the children and that while they were napping she would be “outside playing in the water, in the garage coloring with chalk” and just “in and out” with the two other children who weren’t napping. In total, Bumblis had eight children at her home, six of which were not her own. According to Indiana law, it is illegal for an in-home babysitter to have more than five children without being licensed.
“She would have been screaming bloody murder,” Sautter said of the victim. “My concern is where you were at the during that time.”
During the interview, Sautter told Bumblis he had interviewed the other children at the home and they told him Bumblis puts them in a closet to take naps. He said he chose to forward the case onto prosecutors for review of criminal charges because “her whereabouts in the home during naptime, and what she was doing in the home and that she knew the child has a tendency to bite other kids and put them in the same room (with the child who bites)” troubled him.
“I don’t go outside when my kids are napping,” Sautter said.
The state rested their case after Sautter’s testimony, and Bumblis had no witnesses and did not testify on her own behalf.
In closing arguments, Sobek held up a picture of the child’s body covered in bite marks and said, “It is not possible for this to happen with proper adult supervision,” saying there is no dispute that the child and her brother suffered injuries.
“She did know,” Sobek said. “She knew there was a biting problem. She told police there was a prior biting incident, and then earlier on that day (the brother) was bit. The defendant no longer has the excuse of ignorance at that point, and four hours later (the victim was) covered. We heard that (the child’s) diaper was soaking wet. What she was doing that day is she was not supervising those children. … The state agrees with Detective Sautter that this had to have gone on for a significant period of time and most likely the child was screaming her head off.”
Bumblis addressed the jury and expressed her disappointment in her evidence not being admissible for them to review.
“I loved those children like they were my own,” Bumblis said. “And I wish I knew what those lesions are from. That’s gonna haunt me for the rest of my life, and it breaks my heart.”
Bumblis went on to tell the jury that since the incident three years ago she has lost her home, her husband, her two children, her career and has been pursued by the victim’s family to get her prosecuted.
It took the jury 13 minutes to reach a verdict of guilty, to which Bumblis accepted with no reaction. She did however interrupt proceedings to proclaim that she objects to the entire process, doesn’t believe the court has jurisdiction in her case and that Wilson is a liar.
Sentencing is set for 1:30 p.m. Nov. 30, and Bumblis, when asked by Sutton, again denied having a public defender appointed for the matter.
After the verdict, Barnett said, “I feel good about the verdict. I feel like (her grandchildren) were vindicated today.”
Wilson echoed those same sentiments for her children and said she’s “glad it’s over.”
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Theresa S. Bumblis, 29, of 1054 N. Park Ave., Warsaw, appeared in front of Judge Joe Sutton and a jury of six men, six women and one male alternate to try her case stemming from August 2017. Kosciusko County Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Joseph Sobek represented the state.
According to the probable cause affidavit in the case, on Aug. 8, 2017, police responded to a call after Lauren Wilson found more than 30 bite marks on her 18-month old daughter after being in the care of Bumblis. Wilson’s other child, her 3-year-old son, had been picked up around noon that day from Bumblis’ residence after Bumblis texted Wilson and said her son had been bitten by another child at the home that had a biting problem.
Wilson picked up her daughter around 5 p.m. that day, according to her testimony in court, and said when she got to Bumblis’ home, Bumblis seemed unaware Wilson was going to be arriving and said she’d go get the child from her nap. Wilson said neither of her children have ever taken four-hour naps, and so she followed Bumblis to get her daughter. Bumblis led Wilson through the home and into the master bedroom closet, according to court testimony, where Wilson said her daughter was in all alone with the door shut.
“I knew immediately something was wrong by the look in her (daughter’s) eyes,” Wilson said. “She looked exhausted … she didn’t look right.” She further testified that her daughter’s diaper was soaking wet. “It didn’t appear she’d been changed at all,” Wilson said.
She then got back on the golf cart she used to drive to the home – Bumblis and Wilson lived in the same neighborhood – and drove to her grandmother’s home. Her grandmother, Myra Barnett, testified Wednesday that Wilson had showed up seeming upset and went to change the child’s diaper on the golf cart, and that is when they discovered the massive amount of bite marks.
“I looked and all I could say was, ‘Oh my God, oh my God,’” Wilson said. She then hopped back on the golf cart with her husband, Mike, and the child and went back to Bumblis’ home to confront her.
“I didn’t even knock, I walked right in,” Wilson said. “I stripped (the child) down” and asked what happened.
According to Wilson, Bumblis said, “I don’t know, I don’t know, I didn’t know a kid was capable of that.”
While the Wilsons were doing that, Barnett called police.
The Wilsons’ son had two bite marks on his butt, one on his knuckles and one on his right shoulder. Wilson said she phoned the children’s pediatrician and her daughter still has a scar on her stomach from the incident, and it took nearly two months for the marks to go away.
During the cross-examination of Wilson, Bumblis asked for a mistrial and claimed Wilson was lying and conspiring with Bumblis’ ex-husband to “take her down and quick” and that her case should be dismissed and Wilson should be charged with conspiracy. Bumblis also speculated she may not get a fair trial because the Barnett and Wilson family - through their business - are connected to law enforcement and attorneys.
Sutton took note of Bumblis’ objections throughout the day and at the end told Bumblis that her failure to get evidence admitted into court due to her lack of understanding of the law is a risk of coming to court unrepresented.
The state’s next witness was former Kosciusko County Sheriff’s Office Lead Det. Todd Sautter. Sautter said he conducted an interview with Bumblis following the incident, and that interview was played for the jury.
In the interview, Bumblis tells Sautter the children were napping in her bedroom, but not in the closet, although she admitted they sometimes played in her closet and passed out from playing because they were so tired. Bumblis also told the detective she didn’t know that the child with the biting problem had a problem or that the child had been to several different babysitters because of it. However, Bumblis did know that the child had a biting problem, according to court testimony, because the child had bitten another child weeks prior in Bumblis’ home.
Bumblis said she never heard any crying from the children and that while they were napping she would be “outside playing in the water, in the garage coloring with chalk” and just “in and out” with the two other children who weren’t napping. In total, Bumblis had eight children at her home, six of which were not her own. According to Indiana law, it is illegal for an in-home babysitter to have more than five children without being licensed.
“She would have been screaming bloody murder,” Sautter said of the victim. “My concern is where you were at the during that time.”
During the interview, Sautter told Bumblis he had interviewed the other children at the home and they told him Bumblis puts them in a closet to take naps. He said he chose to forward the case onto prosecutors for review of criminal charges because “her whereabouts in the home during naptime, and what she was doing in the home and that she knew the child has a tendency to bite other kids and put them in the same room (with the child who bites)” troubled him.
“I don’t go outside when my kids are napping,” Sautter said.
The state rested their case after Sautter’s testimony, and Bumblis had no witnesses and did not testify on her own behalf.
In closing arguments, Sobek held up a picture of the child’s body covered in bite marks and said, “It is not possible for this to happen with proper adult supervision,” saying there is no dispute that the child and her brother suffered injuries.
“She did know,” Sobek said. “She knew there was a biting problem. She told police there was a prior biting incident, and then earlier on that day (the brother) was bit. The defendant no longer has the excuse of ignorance at that point, and four hours later (the victim was) covered. We heard that (the child’s) diaper was soaking wet. What she was doing that day is she was not supervising those children. … The state agrees with Detective Sautter that this had to have gone on for a significant period of time and most likely the child was screaming her head off.”
Bumblis addressed the jury and expressed her disappointment in her evidence not being admissible for them to review.
“I loved those children like they were my own,” Bumblis said. “And I wish I knew what those lesions are from. That’s gonna haunt me for the rest of my life, and it breaks my heart.”
Bumblis went on to tell the jury that since the incident three years ago she has lost her home, her husband, her two children, her career and has been pursued by the victim’s family to get her prosecuted.
It took the jury 13 minutes to reach a verdict of guilty, to which Bumblis accepted with no reaction. She did however interrupt proceedings to proclaim that she objects to the entire process, doesn’t believe the court has jurisdiction in her case and that Wilson is a liar.
Sentencing is set for 1:30 p.m. Nov. 30, and Bumblis, when asked by Sutton, again denied having a public defender appointed for the matter.
After the verdict, Barnett said, “I feel good about the verdict. I feel like (her grandchildren) were vindicated today.”
Wilson echoed those same sentiments for her children and said she’s “glad it’s over.”
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