How Could You? Hall of Shame-Melissa Anne Sondrol UPDATED

This will be an archive of heinous actions by those involved in child welfare, foster care and adoption. We forewarn you that these are deeply disturbing stories that may involve sex abuse, murder, kidnapping and other horrendous actions.

From Champlin, Minnesota, foster mom Melissa Anne Sondrol, 39, “is accused of breaking several bones of an infant boy in her custody. ”

“Melissa Anne Sondrol, of Champlin, is charged with third-degree assault, court documents filed in Hennepin County show.

According to a criminal complaint, the 39-year-old foster mom began taking care of the 7-week-old boy on Aug. 30.

Earlier this month, she took the child to a hospital, telling doctors the child wasn’t moving his right leg normally.

Doctors found the child had a fractured femur. Additionally, x-rays showed the boy also suffered broken bones in his shin, foot and ribs.

Child abuse experts concluded that the femur break was just a few days old, the criminal complaint states. Likewise, the other injuries appeared to have happened while the boy was in Sondrol’s custody.

A geneticist reviewed the boy’s x-rays and found that there was no evidence of bone disease that could account for the child’s injuries.

There were also no allegations of abuse by the boy’s biological parents, the complaint states.

In an interview with police, Sondrol said that the child was “an incredibly, incredibly fussy baby.”

When investigators spoke with Sondrol’s family, her teenage children told them about a conversation in which Sondrol told her husband about hearing a “popping” sound when bicycling the child’s legs to relieve gas.

When asked about this later, Sondrol recalled the conversation with her husband.

“I heard a pop,” she allegedly told police. “I don’t know why I didn’t tell you that. That’s what prompted me to take him in.”

No doctors remembered hearing the story about bicycling the child’s legs, the complaint states.

Sondrol denied knowing how the boy suffered the other broken bones.

If convicted of the assault charge, Sondrol faces a maximum penalty of 5 years in prison and/or a $10,000 fine.

The state is seeking an aggravated sentence for cruelty and because the child was particularly vulnerable.”

http://minnesota.cbslocal.com/2017/10/24/champlin-foster-mom-assault/

[CBS Minnesota 10/24/17]

REFORM Puzzle Piece

Update:“A Champlin woman has been convicted of abusing her foster son after doctors discovered bone fractures during a hospital visit.

The Hennepin County Attorney’s Office said Wednesday that Melissa Sondrol, 40, was convicted of third-degree assault by a district court jury.

According to the criminal complaint, Sondrol brought her then 7-week-old foster son to the hospital on Oct. 5, 2017, claiming he wasn’t moving his right leg normally. X-rays showed a new fracture in the infant’s right femur, as well as older fractures of a bone in the right foot and left tibia as well as 10 fractures of the baby’s ribs.

The complaint says Sondrol claimed she noticed a problem with his right leg two days earlier, but delayed seeking medical care. The complaint also says Sondrol didn’t tell investigators or doctors that she heard a “pop” or “crack” from the child’s leg two days earlier until after her children told investigators they heard her telling her husband. Sondrol admitted she withheld that information out of fear, after poilce confronted her with her children’s statements, the document said.

The Hennepin County Attorney’s Office said Sondrol testified at trial that she hadn’t mistreated the boy, but that he must’ve had weak, demineralized bones, which a hired orthopedic surgeon supported. However, Children’s Hospital doctors said no medical evidence of any bone conditions, genetic or metabolic, were found.

The child was placed with a new foster parent the same day his fractures were discovered, and the attorney’s office says he hasn’t suffered any additional fractures or injuries since then.

Sondrol was acquitted of a third-degree assault charge for past pattern of child abuse, but found guilty for the broken femur.

Sentencing is set for May 28. Because the victim was an infant, Sondrol was the primary caregiver as a foster parent, and she withheld information and waited to seek medical attention for the child, she could face a tougher penalty than state sentencing guidelines recommend.

An assistant Hennepin County attorney also filed a petition to terminate Sondrol’s parental rights to her five children in October 2017. A judge ordered the children to remain in the family home under the care of their father, but Sondrol could not live in the home. A judge allowed her to move back in February 2018 and a pre-trial hearing is set for April 9 on the termination petition, the attorney’s office says.”

Champlin foster mother convicted of abusing infant

[KTSP 3/27/19]

According to the Minnesota Court Case record, she received a 90 day sentence and 3 years supervised probation for the 3rd degree felony.