Babysitter arrested after putting 4-year-old boy in dryer, police say

LAKE COUNTY, Fla. (Gray News) -A babysitter in Florida has been accused of putting a child who was under her care in a dryer.

Authorities in Lake County, Florida, report Amber Christine Chapman, 35, has been charged with aggravated child abuse.

Investigators say that a 4-year-old boy was taken to the UF Health Leesburg Hospital on Feb. 1 and told medical staff that “Miss Amber” had put him in the dryer with towels, and he spun around.

Staff noted multiple areas of bruising on the boy’s head, back and both ears, as indicated by police.

In a recorded interview with the child on Feb. 7, police said the boy told them that Chapman placed him in the dryer, closed the door, and he spun around. The boy also said Chapman opened the door, closed it again, and then went around again.

On Feb. 2, the boy was examined at the Children’s Advocacy Center, according to police. Injuries were found on the boy’s head, abdomen and back.

The team was unable to determine if being placed in the dryer caused the boy’s injuries, but the team told police that the injuries to his back, face, forehead and ears were consistent with what he had told doctors of what had happened.

Police said the boy had frequently been watched by Chapman in the past.