Babysitter punished child by holding face against a treadmill, Indiana cops say

An Indiana woman was arrested Saturday after allegedly harming a 1-year-old girl she was babysitting, according to media and police reports.

Amber Nicole Vannatter, 20, was babysitting for the infant while her mother was at work Friday, according to the Muncie Star Press.

She began abusing the child “because she was depressed and the baby was crying,” Muncie police detective Kris Swanson told the Star Press.

The baby’s face was held against the belt of a treadmill and her arms and neck were also burned with a cigarette lighter, WTHR reported.

The infant was later taken to her mother’s work when she fell from a table, which caused her to bleed from her mouth, according to WTHR.

Vannatter was arrested early Saturday morning and placed in the Delaware County Jail, records show.

She has been charged with two counts of neglect of dependent and two counts of battery to a person 14 years old or younger, jail records show. She is being held on a $60,000 bond.