By Liz Shepherd
InkFreeNews

WARSAW — After 15 minutes of deliberation in a one-day trial, a six-person jury found a former Warsaw babysitter guilty of child neglect after a child was bitten more than 30 times by another child while in her care.

Theresa S. Bumblis, 29, 1054 N. Park Ave., Warsaw, was issued a summons to appear in court in November 2017 on a Level 6 neglect of a dependent charge.

According to court documents, on Aug. 8, 2017, a Kosciusko County Sheriff’s deputy responded to a call of children being injured while at their babysitter’s residence. A mother told officers she took her two children, who were ages three and 16 months old at the time, to Bumblis’ home for babysitting. Around noon that day, Bumblis called the mother to tell her that her three-year-old son had been bitten by another child.

The mother had a relative pick up the three-year-old to check on the injury. Later that evening, the mother went to pick up her 16-month-old daughter from Bumblis’ home.

When the mother went to change the infant’s diaper, she noticed approximately 31 bite marks all over the child’s body. The investigating officer noticed a large number of bite marks that were red and swollen on the child’s back, stomach, chest and arms. The officer also saw red and swollen bite marks on the three-year-old’s stomach and buttocks.

After noticing the marks on the 16-month-old, the mother went to speak with Bumblis about what happened. Bumblis told the mother she was babysitting a child with a biting problem but was not aware of bite marks on the 16-month-old.

Prior to jury trial proceedings beginning on Wednesday, Nov. 4, Bumblis argued for dismissal of the case due to not being given a fast and speedy trial; she also argued the court has defaulted in several jurisdictions. Kosciusko Superior Court 3 Judge Joe Sutton said the case had been continued multiple times by the defendant and overruled her motion. In this case, Bumblis had two different attorneys previously represent her throughout the proceedings; however, for the jury trial, Bumblis represented herself in court.

In his opening argument to the court, Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Joseph Sobek provided the jury with details on the case.

“There is no possible way (the child) was being properly supervised,” said Sobek. “The situation did endanger (the child’s) life and health.”

In her opening statement, Bumblis said she had deposition from a pediatrician stating that the marks on the child could be bug bites or an allergic reaction. However, the deposition was not submitted as evidence since the doctor was not present for testimony.

Sobek called three witnesses for testimony, including two of the children’s relatives. The first witness was the children’s mother.

The mother described her young daughter as the “happiest little girl, smiley and very active.” She was acquaintances with Bumblis, noting they went to school together and lived in the same neighborhood. Prior to the biting incident, the mother said she had noticed nothing of immediate concern that would cause her to not want Bumblis babysitting her children. She also said her children had no allergies or skin sensitivities and were updated on their shots.

On Aug. 8, 2017, the mother said she received a text from Bumblis about her son being bitten on his shoulder. A photo of the bite was sent to the mother by Bumblis; she then told Bumblis she would have a relative come to pick up both of her children around noon. However, the relative only took the son home at the time because Bumblis said the 16-month-old had just fallen asleep.

When the mother went to Bumblis’ residence around 5 p.m. to pick up her daughter, she was told her daughter was still asleep. In her testimony, the mother said that was odd since her daughter didn’t typically take lengthy naps. She also said she saw Bumblis get her napping daughter out of a closet.

“I knew immediately something was wrong by the look in her eyes,” said the mother about her daughter. “She just didn’t look right.”

The mother noticed her daughter’s diaper was soaked through and went to her grandmother’s house to change the diaper. She then observed multiple bite marks.

Photos of the child’s bite marks were submitted as evidence.

The mother said she immediately went back to Bumblis’ residence to ask what occurred; Bumblis told the mother she had no idea what happened. The mother was told by a local doctor to monitor the bites for infection. According to the mother, it took over a month for her daughter’s injuries to fully heal and that she has a permanent scar on her stomach from one of the bites.

In cross-examination, Bumblis called for a mistrial due to the mother allegedly lying on the stand, arguing that she had evidence of Bumblis conspiring with her ex-husband. Bumblis said she had pictures of screenshots of messages between her ex-husband and the mother conspiring to “take her down, but the messages were not permitted into evidence by the court.

“I’m not out to get you,” said the mother. “I just want an explanation for what happened.”

The state’s second witness was the children’s great-grandmother. She recalled the 16-month-old’s eyes being red and glassy and that the child was fussy because her diaper hadn’t been changed.

She was also the person who contacted law enforcement officials to report the bite marks. At one point, she said the 16-month-old tried to bite her on the shoulder following the incident.

“No child should have to go through what that little girl went through,” said the great-grandmother.

The state’s final witness was former Kosciusko County Sheriff’s Office Detective Lieutenant Todd Sautter. A few weeks after the incident, Sautter interviewed Bumblis about what occurred; that interview was recorded and played for the jury.

In the interview, Bumblis denied putting children in her closet and said she was unaware the 16-month-old had bite marks until the child’s mother came to her residence to inquire about them.

“It seriously breaks my heart,” said Bumblis. “I’ve babysat for years and this has never happened.”

Sautter said he also spoke with a couple of the children Bumblis babysat and that they said children would get put into a closet to take a nap. Sautter then requested the prosecutor’s office file a criminal charge against Bumblis due to not being able to determine Bumblis’ whereabouts in her home when the child received the bites, as well as the severity of the injuries.

“In my expert opinion and in my investigation, those are bite marks,” said Sautter about the child’s injuries. Through cross-examination of witnesses, Bumblis argued multiple times that the injuries were not bite marks.

Bumblis did not testify and also did not call any witnesses on her behalf.

“It is not possible for this to happen without proper adult supervision,” said Sobek in his closing argument. “The defendant knew she was putting her in an unsafe position. She no longer has the excuse of ignorance. Whatever she was doing that day, she was not supervising those children.”

In her closing argument, Bumblis mentioned not being allowed to enter certain types of evidence for submission and became emotional when elaborating on how the criminal charge has affected her.

“I loved those children like they were my own,” said Bumblis. “This is going to haunt me for the rest of my life. Take time to understand what’s going on.”

Within 15 minutes of entering deliberation, the jury delivered a guilty verdict. Sentencing is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. Monday, Nov. 30.

Prior to proceedings ending for the day, Bumblis objected to the ruling due to the court defaulting in several jurisdictions. The objection was overruled.

She will also be representing herself in her sentencing.