Rochester, N.Y. - A daycare provider and mother of three young girls sobbed in court after learning she will go to prison for three years. But the judge admonished her saying she is not the victim here.
Tina Sardisco is accused of severely shaking a 6-month-old child in her care. She continues to deny any wrong doing saying what happened was an emotional reaction as she tried to revive a friend’s chocking child.
“I should have been better trained,” she told the court today. “I just ask for your mercy. Please don’t take me away from my children.”
“She did everything that she could to save that child so it’s ironic that her children are at risk as a result of the sentence,” says her attorney James Doyle. However both the judge and jury say the facts show otherwise.
Medical experts testified Chloe Colangelo was severely shaken and slammed to the ground. Chloe’s mother recalled seeing her daughter in the emergency room.
“The doctor sais her hemorrhages were so severe her retinas may detach,” Kelly Colangelo told the court. “I will forever question every move I make as a parent because of what Tina did.”
“She violently shook this baby and the jury agreed with that. They came back in less than an hour,” says prosecutor Meredith Vacca.
Chloe lost her vision for a time, but has gained it back. She’s doing better, but there are still questions whether she will experience health problems in the future.
Sardisco’s family and friends left the courtroom in tears –several of them sobbing openly- after learning she will go to prison. She could have received as much as seven years or a sentence of probation.
“I believe the sentence is harsh and unduly severe,” says her attorney. He says he will take it up with the Appellate Court.
Yet the man with the final word disagreed. “This was not an innocent lapse of judgment,” said State Supreme Court Justice Francis Affronti. “You lost it for whatever reason.”
He says its clear Sardisco used “serious and significant force” in inflicting the injuries. Judge Affronti added “You are not the victim here.”
