Be careful who you hire! A Toms River working mom who hired a nanny off of the care.com website came home to find her 2-year-old child being “watched” by a drunk, passed out fifty-year-old nanny. According to a report from newyork.cbslocal.com, when the mother entered her home on a Friday afternoon last month, she received the surprise of her life when she found her young son sitting in a soiled diaper while the recently hired babysitter bolted out of the home. She did not get far, however, as she crashed into a fire hydrant in a neighbor’s front yard. Police arrived at the scene and charged the sitter with endangering the welfare of a child and DWI with a BAC of about three time the legal limit.
In this case, the Endangering charge is likely a third degree crime pursuant to N.J.S.A. 2C: 24-4 as it does not involve “sexual conduct which would impair or debauch the morals of a child.” In such cases, the charge would be of the Second Degree. Third Degree charges are heard at Ocean County Superior Court in Toms River.
The Driving While Intoxicated Charge is quite serious as well. In New Jersey, penalties for a First Offense DWI consist of a surcharge and costs of up to $800, $1000 fine/year for three years, installation of an ignition interlock device if the BAC is .15% or greater, potential jail time at the judge’s discretion, community service, and mandatory alcohol counseling.
