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Tester was charged in January with the first-degree misdemeanor through Butler County Juvenile Court, according to court administrator Rob Clevenger. On Jan. 30, a bench warrant was issued for Tester’s arrest when she was not present at a court hearing.
Tester was booked into the Butler County Jail on Friday on the bench warrant and is awaiting a court hearing. She appeared today for arraignment in leg shackles with attorney Frank Schiavone IV.
Court documents signed by Middletown Police Sgt. Malcolm Tipton say that “(Tester) was observed on video recording appearing to strike the child, sitting on the child for approximately 36 seconds and shaking the child all while yelling and telling the child to ‘shut-up.’”
Schiavone to the magistrate that Tester’s summons in January was served at an old address. He also said she had been cooperative with police and children services investigation into the allegations since October.
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Tester, described as a family friend, was babysitting Owen, the son of Corrie and Derrick Beckett, three or four days a week in October. But they became concerned after they said the child’s behavior changed.
“We just need to know nothing’s going on because he wasn’t acting right,” Corrie Beckett said.
The Becketts hid the camera above the fireplace so they could see what was happening after they left for work.
Corrie Beckett said she was shocked by what she saw later that morning on her cell phone.
“When I watched the video, she was screaming at him, telling him to shut up, sitting on top of him,” she said.
In one clip, viewers can hear her screaming at Owen while he’s crying.
“Shut up!”
Later, she leans over and continues to yell at him.
“You gotta get over it!”
That’s when things get physical and she gets on top of the 10-month-old.
“Owen. Damn, man!”
She returned home that morning to confront the babysitter.
“She said, ‘Is something going on with him?’ And I said, ‘I don’t know, you tell me what’s going on here.’ She became defensive,” Beckett said.
The Becketts filed a police report, saying Owen had a cut on his upper lip and there was blood on the sleeves of his pajamas.
Prosecutors did not file charges at that time. However, Middletown police reopened the case and the misdemeanor charge was filed in January.
The Becketts were at the arraignment today, but declined comment.
Schiavone IV, said the incident was also investigated by Children Services, and the finding was the “allegations were unsubstantiated.”
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