Babysitter enters no-contest plea in assault

PALMER - A babysitter accused of assaulting a 19-month-old boy entered a plea of no contest in Palmer Superior Court last week.

Dianna Lynn Clayton, 21, was charged Feb. 12 with third-degree assault after the parents of the child discovered bruises, lacerations and abrasions on the childs cheeks, ribs and legs and a dark purple bruise on his genitals, according to charging documents.

The 20-year-old mother of the boy had been working a night shift and made arrangements for Clayton to care for the child. The child was to remain at Claytons Palmer residence from the first night of the mothers shift until the end of her last shift. The mother planned to retrieve the boy for her weekends off.

The child was left in Claytons care Jan. 29, court documents said. When the mother stopped to see the boy Feb. 2 she noticed two large bruises on the boys face and was told he fell out of a high chair.

The mother picked up her son Feb. 3, court records said, and discovered the purple bruise on his genitals when she gave him a bath.

The child was assessed at Valley Hospital by Sexual Assault Response Team personnel who determined the bruises and other injuries probably occurred during an extended period of time, with the genital and facial injuries most likely being the most recent.

A following investigation revealed Clayton had assaulted the child on numerous occasions by striking the child with a wooden spatula, a metal spoon and a leather belt on his bare bottom and legs.

Charging documents also stated Clayton had stuffed the boys mouth with a pair of socks, causing him to gag and his mouth to bleed; force-fed him his own feces; rubbed a wet diaper on his face; spanked him hard enough to cause his diaper to disintegrate in her hands; and pinched his penis hard enough to cause a blister to form.

Initially denying the charges, Clayton later confessed to the assaults, court records state.

She said the assaults began some time in January and continued until the last time she watched the child. She stated she had become angry at him for crying all the time and felt she could not control her anger at times, charging documents said.

Clayton is scheduled for sentencing Oct. 20. Third-degree assault is a class C felony that carries a sentence of as many as five years in prison and a $50,000 fine.