Day Care Operator Who Drugged Children To Go To Tanning Center Sentenced To Over 21 Years

We recently discussed the criminal case against three day care workers accused of giving drugged Gummy Bears to children.  They are unlikely to take much encouragement from the case of January Neatherlin, 32, who was just sentenced to 21 years and four months for drugging kids at an illegal day care facility in Bend, Oregon so she could go tan and do Cross-Fit training.  Neatherlin pleaded guilty to 11 counts of first-degree criminal mistreatment and a count of third-degree assault.  

When police arrived at her Little Giggles day care, they could seven children younger than five unattended.  As with the Illinois case involving Kidde Junction, Neatherlin used melatonin to induce sleep in the children. It turns out that she also misrepresented to parents that she was a registered nurse.

The sentence reflects allegations of harm to the children and (thus far) have not been alleged in the Illinois case. It also reflected her  running an illegal center for four years.  She also has prior felony identity-theft convictions under the names January Livsey and January Brooks.

That adds up to 21 years plus four months.