A woman faces up to three years in prison in a child neglect case.
Stephanie Mikel, 26, of 2854 S. Country Club Drive, Warsaw, pleaded guilty Thursday in Kosciusko Superior Court I to a felony count of neglect of a dependent resulting in bodily injury and assisting a criminal.
Judge David Cates set sentencing for Sept. 28. Under the plea agreement, Mikel faces a maximum time behind bars of three years.
Police were called to a residence where Mikel lived with her boyfriend Devan Bounds in August 2016.
A relative had noticed broken skin on her 2-year-old daughter’s buttocks.
Mikel initially told police she had spanked the child, according to court records.
Further investigation revealed that Bounds had spanked the child with a belt for wetting her pants.
Mikel and Bounds were both arrested Aug. 16, 2016, for battery on a child.
Mikel said she lied because she was afraid of Bounds, records state. The battery charge against Mikel was dropped.
In February, after Bounds pleaded guilty to his charges, Mikel was charged with neglect and assisting a criminal.
Bounds was sentenced to four years in the Indiana Department of Corrections in March.
During Bounds’ sentencing, Mikel sat near him and held his hand.
