A nanny repeatedly dosed a 4-month-old girl in her care with potentially dangerous medication to get the infant to go to sleep until the babysitter was caught on camera in Laurel Hollow on Friday afternoon, Nassau County police said.
Anneliese Brucato pleaded not guilty Monday to charges of assault and endangering the welfare of a child. Bail was set at $15,000 cash or $30,000 bond.
“It appears she may have done this to calm the child,” said Detective Lt. Kevin Smith, a police spokesman.
The girl’s mother allegedly watched a remote live video feed of her nanny cam from a laptop computer while the 48-year-old Plainview resident used a dropper to medicate the child with a liquid later determined to be an antihistamine not recommended for babies, police said.
Second Squad detectives reviewed the recordings and found three other instances where Brucato did the same thing over the past month that she has been working for the family, police said.
It is believed she drugged the baby so her job could become easier despite the fact that the infant did not appear to be crying on the video, Smith said.
Her attorney did not return a telephone call for comment.
Police said the child was not seriously injured.
Brucato is due back in court on Feb. 16.