Illinois Infant Caregiver Facing 30 Years in Jail Given 6 Months

Home Day Care Operator Gets Greatly Reduced Sentence in Aggravated Battery of a Child

Lisa Huang, 50, was originally charged with aggravated battery of a child, a class X felony, which carries a mandatory sentence of 6 to 30 years in jail. But, through the diligent and tireless work of Stephen M. Komie and all of his associates, Ms. Huang was sentenced to only six months in jail, four years of probation, and ordered to pay $7,256 to the child's parents for medical costs.

On Monday, Ms. Huang fell to her knees, sobbing, in court, pleading for forgiveness from the parents of an infant she had just been convicted of abusing. After Huang told DuPage County Circuit Judge Michael Burke that she would accept the negotiated plea agreement, she asked to apologize to the Naperville parents of the boy whom she abused on Jan. 9, 2001.

Turning toward them in the courtroom, Huang dropped to her knees, crying, and said: "I harmed your child, I'm sorry. I'm pleading with you, could you accept my apology? I know for two years both you and I have been through torment. I'm asking for your forgiveness. I always wanted to apologize."

The parents didn't respond in court and later declined to comment. On Jan. 9, 2001, Naperville paramedics were called to Huang's home, responding to a 911 call about a child choking. After an initial diagnosis at Edward Hospital in Naperville, the infant was airlifted to Loyola University Medical Center in Maywood for treatment of serious head injuries. Huang's initial story was that the child fell when she was holding him at her side. But after being questioned further, she admitted she was frustrated that the child was not eating and shook him before placing him in a playpen and pushing his head into a wall, said Assistant State's Atty. Cathy Nunziati Nusgart.

Nusgart said Huang later admitted she had shaken the child on other occasions. Huang had watched children of working parents over the years and had three other children in her home the day of the incident. The infant recovered from his injuries, but the parents still are concerned about the child's development, said Assistant State's Atty. Beth Ekl. Huang was originally charged with aggravated battery of a child, which carries a mandatory prison sentence of six to 30 years.

"In her view, she will live with this for the rest of her life, " said her attorney, Stephen Komie. "But she has no criminal history and this is a once-in-a-lifetime type of incident."

Besides the jail sentence, Burke ordered that Huang, during her four years' probation, not have any unsupervised contact with children and not participate in any daycare or babysitting activities. He also ordered her to undergo counseling and anger-management classes.

If you are facing serious criminal charges in DuPage County, Cook County or the state of Illinois, contact the experienced attorneys at Komie and Associates for a free consultation at 312-263-2800.