Baby sitter gets 60 days in jail

A Cudahy woman acquitted of homicide charges in the 2016 death of an infant girl in her care was sentenced to 60 days in jail on Thursday for a charge on which she was convicted — obstruction of justice.

Circuit Judge Jeffrey Wagner sentenced Carrie Heller in connection with the death of 6-month-old Finley Rae Olson. He stayed another 9 months in jail and ordered that she serve one year under supervision after she is released from the House of Correction. Heller also had been acquitted of running an unlicensed day care center.

The 31-year-old mother of three also must pay a $5,000 fine and do 40 hours of community service.

“When sentencing the defendant, the court took into consideration the fact that a child was lost in her care,” Wagner said. “And I know that I’m sure that she’ll have that mental history of that family for the rest of her life.”

Heller declined to make a statement.

Finley died last year, two days after Heller called 911 to report the baby wasn’t breathing toward the end of the day at Heller’s home. The infant was later found to have suffered a skull fracture and bleeding on her brain, injuries local doctors said could have resulted only from severe trauma.

Over a weeklong trial in May, jurors learned that Heller did not disclose to EMTs, Child Protective Services and others that she had accidentally bumped Finley in the head with a plastic highchair tray. She later described that incident to a detective.

Heller had spent 112 days in jail awaiting trial.