CHUBBUCK, Idaho -- Charges have been filed against the owners of a defunct child day care following an investigation into the death of a 2-year-old autistic boy last year.
The misdemeanor charges were filed earlier this week against Randie Wilhelm, 48, and Vickey Stauffer, 50. They are charged with injury to a child, resisting or obstructing an investigation, and failure to report child abuse.
They remain free on their own recognizance, and are scheduled to be arraigned March 23 at the Bannock County Courthouse.
Police allege that Michelle Bott-Graham, 39, hurt Cameron Hamilton when she was treating him for autism at her home on Nov. 29. She was working as a counselor at Achieving a Better Life, a day care in Chubbuck.
Police said Bott-Graham returned Cameron to the Achieving a Better Life day care in an unresponsive state.
Day care workers then called authorities. Cameron died Dec. 5 of severe head trauma at Primary Children's Medical Center in Salt Lake City.
Late last month, Bott-Graham was charged with first-degree murder, a charge Idaho law allows when aggravated battery against a child under age 12 results in death.
Chubbuck officers cited ABL Nov. 30 for failing to conduct a required background check on Bott-Graham, whose counseling license was revoked because of a drug arrest in 2003.
According to police reports, Bott-Graham was also charged at the time with felony injury to a child because used heroin needles were accessible to Bott-Graham's children. That charge was dismissed as part of a plea bargain.
Authorities also said ABL failed to notify city officials that Bott-Graham was working at ABL.
"I'm looking forward to the outcome of the entire case, not just on the misdemeanor charges, to make sure justice for Cameron is served," Chubbuck Police Lt. Bill Guiberson told the Idaho State Journal.
Kelly Kumm, the attorney for Wilhelm and Stauffer, said he will not represent his clients on the misdemeanor charges as they don't have the money to pay him because of mounting legal bills since Cameron was injured.
