Bend day care provider gets 7 1/2 years in prison

A Bend day care provider was sentenced Thursday to 7 1/2 years in prison, two days after pleading guilty to reduced charges for abusing an infant in her care.

Deschutes County Circuit Judge Wells Ashby delivered the sentence to Nicole Johansen, 41, who had pleaded guilty Tuesday to two counts of first-degree assault. Under a plea agreement, three counts of first-degree criminal mistreatment were dismissed.

Johansen, who appeared by video from jail, also will face three years of post-prison supervision after her release, the judge said.

After she is released, Ashby also ordered that Johansen have no contact with minors without prior approval, and no longer conduct child care duties.

Johansen, who operated Nicole’s Day Care in northeast Bend, was arrested in late January, accused of abusing a 3-month-old child who sustained internal head injuries while under Johansen’s care.