Former Wausau Babysitter Sentenced to Prison for Child Abuse

Monday, October 23rd, 2023 -- 2:01 PM

(Mike Leischner, WSAU) A former Wausau babysitter will serve six years in the state prison system after pleading no contest to two counts of child abuse.

According to Mike Leischner with WSAU, Merisa Wagner will serve six years in prison on two separate counts- a four-year stay for child abuse causing great bodily harm and two additional years for a lesser count of child abuse intentionally causing great harm.

Those sentences will run consecutively. The six-year term will be followed by another ten years of extended supervision. During that time Wagner must maintain full-time employment or schooling, though she will not be allowed to work or volunteer at a daycare center or with vulnerable individuals.

She will not be allowed to have any unsupervised contact with minor children unless they are her own. If she can’t maintain employment or schooling, she must serve community service. Wagner was given credit for four days already served in jail.

Wagner is accused of shaking a 16-month-old girl who was in her care. She reportedly told police the child had fallen, but doctors found bleeding on her brain and other indications of abuse.

That incident occurred in 2018. News of that incident brought to light two other incidents that came to light from 2015 and 2017, neither of which made it to trial. The 33-year-old was known as Merisa Sell, but court records show she has recently divorced her husband and gone back to her maiden name.

She was immediately taken into custody to begin her sentence following Friday’s hearing. At least one victim impact statement was read, and Wagner did give a statement as well.

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