Eight new counts against allegedly absent Bend babysitter

A Deschutes County grand jury returned a second indictment Monday with eight more charges dating back four years against a 31-year-old Bend babysitter accused of leaving nearly a dozen children alone in her home for hours at a time while she was away at a gym or tanning salon.

January Neatherlin was arraigned Monday on the new first-degree criminal mistreatment charges before Circuit Judge Beth Bagley, who increased her bail to $750,000, pending a plea hearing on the new total of 122 charges for May 30th at 1:30 p.m.

The initial charges involved seven children, ages 6 months to 4 years old, allegedly left alone at Neatherlin’s home during a period between March 3 and 15, the day of her arrest. The new indictment names four alleged victims, again all referred to by their initials, and date back as far as May 1, 2013, and as recently as Jan. 17 of this year.

Neatherlin is accused of withholding “necessary and adequate physical care,” in some counts, and of causing physical injury in others.” She also was accused of leaving alleged victims “unattended at a place for a period of time that was likely to endanger the health and welfare” of those listed.