"Jane Doe" - Blind, Autistic 8 yo - Ocean Pines MD

Ocean Pines MD ---- A Bishopville teenager faces child abuse charges after an
Ocean Pines mother allegedly recorded the teen's attacks on her daughter on videotape.
Bishopville resident Carleigh Renee Kufchak, 19, has been charged
with first- and second-degree child abuse, second-degree assault and
reckless endangerment after a June 25 incident with a blind 8-year-old girl she was baby-sitting.



According to charging documents, police were
approached by the child's mother after she saw video of Kufchak
allegedly abusing her daughter, who is blind and autistic. The mother
had installed a video recording device in her home at the request of the
child's doctors, who wanted to see how the girl behaved at home to help
them develop a plan to treat her.When reviewing the recording from June 25, the mother,
who is a night-shift nurse, saw Kufchak allegedly hitting her daughter,
throwing her down and dragging her around by her legs, according to
charging documents. In the video, there are allegedly at least 10 times
in which Kufchak slaps the child or pushes her to the floor, according
to the statement of charges.According to court records, in the video, police also
heard Kufchak -- who, at times, was in the company of other people in
the home while the mother was at work -- allegedly say, "Put your ...
kid in a mental institution where she belongs."The child can also be heard on the tapes saying that
she didn't want to be hit anymore, records stated.Kufchak, who was released on $25,000 bond, had been
watching the child for two years but had only been watching her
unsupervised since January. A preliminary hearing in Worcester County
District Court is scheduled for July 29.In Maryland, the maximum sentences for first- and
second-degree child abuse -- both felonies -- are 25 and 15 years, respectively.