NEWPORT, Ky. – An angry mother lashed out at her infant's babysitter, calling her "a monster" and saying she "tortured" her daughter when the woman was finally sentenced Tuesday.
The mother, Jennifer Diaz, said she had gone through a "roller coaster of emotions, like living in a prison" while fighting for a year to see her daughter's abuser go to jail.
The babysitter, Desiree Rankin, of Newport, was sentenced to three months in jail. Rankin pleaded guilty in December to criminally abusing Diaz' daughter and another infant in her care at her home.
Diaz, of Bellevue, said she felt "helpless" while waiting since Rankin was indicted on Jan. 15, 2015. Diaz said she was first alerted about possible abuse to her then 6-month-old daughter in November, 2014.
"We were so helpless," Diaz said. "We couldn't do anything to help our child. We couldn't do anything to fix the situation. We couldn't do anything to make her go to jail, to admit what she did. And it was... It has been like living in a prison."
Rankin was indicted on March 26, 2015 in the other case.
Diaz said she is relieved to get justice and happy with the sentence. The judge also requires Rankin to have a mental health evaluation and barred her from contact with the victims' families.
Several people were in court on Rankin's behalf. They called the allegations lies but declined further comment.
READ how the Mayerson Clinic helped uncover Rankin's crimes.
