A Bloomington woman was arrested earlier this month on charges of battery and strangulation after video surfaced of her allegedly abusing her two-year-old son.
Makayla Carpenter is now out of jail on a monitored release, according to online court documents. Her next appearance in court is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. Feb. 22 in the Monroe County Circuit Court.
Carpenter was arrested Jan. 9 after her child’s grandmother showed law enforcement a video taken Jan. 8. Deputies believe the video shows Carpenter hurting her child.
In the video, Carpenter places her son into a bed and he begins to cry, according to the affidavit for Carpenter’s arrest.
Carpenter then stood over her son, cursing as his cries grew louder, before she placed her hands on his head. His cries became muffled, and, according to the affidavit, he started struggling to breathe and hitting Carpenter’s hands.
She removed her hands and then slapped her son.
The video was taken by Carpenter's brother's fiance, according to the affidavit, then given to the child's father. The father sent them to the child's grandmother.
After seeing the video, deputies with the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office called the Department of Child Services and traveled to Carpenter’s home.
Carpenter’s fiance answered the door and told deputies the night before he had only witnessed Carpenter slap her son once on the back of the head before placing him in the bed. He told them after that he had been out of the room smoking a cigarette.
Deputies also spoke with Carpenter who told police she had hit her son on the head and placed her hands over his mouth for 45 minutes.
According to the affidavit, she said it made her feel like a “monster.”
