No jail time for N.H. daycare worker who drugged children with melatonin

"A New Hampshire daycare worker charged with secretly drugging children with melatonin at her in-home center will serve no jail time - a sentencing decision Monday that has sparked concerns over gaps in the state's child protection laws. According to court documents, Sally Dreckmann, 53, pleaded guilty in Hillsborough North Superior Court to falsifying physical evidence and reckless conduct. Judge Amy Messer sentenced Dreckmann to have no direct or indirect contact with any of the child victims or families."

"Dreckmann will not be allowed to be employed or operate any form of licensed or unlicensed daycare. The judge also ordered payment of any restitution for documented medical expenses or losses incurred by the victims, and that Dreckmann perform 100 hours of community service. Messer did not sentence Dreckmann to any prison time. According to court documents, the sentencing agreement included a three-and-a-half- to seven-year prison sentence for falsifying physical evidence,"

"In a phone interview, prosecutor Shawn Sweeney said the Hillsborough County Attorney's Office is working to get legislation passed through the New Hampshire legislature to make endangering child welfare a felony offense in some circumstances. "It's like a blind spot in the law that makes it so in certain circumstances, like in the Sally Dreckmann case, we have to take statutes that may not fit quite right and try to make it fit," Sweeney said. Legislators voted the bill down in May."

Sally Dreckmann, 53, pleaded guilty to falsifying physical evidence and reckless conduct after secretly drugging children with melatonin at her in-home daycare. The court barred Dreckmann from any contact with the child victims and families, prohibited unsupervised contact with minors except family, and banned employment in licensed or unlicensed daycare. The court ordered restitution for documented medical expenses, 100 hours of community service, and suspended prison sentences: three-and-a-half to seven years for falsifying physical evidence and two to five years for reckless conduct, each suspended for ten years. Prosecutors called the case a legal blind spot and sought felony legislation, but legislators voted the bill down amid concerns over vague wording.

Read at Boston.com