Renee Daytona Roberts, 45, was sentenced on Thursday, March 27, to 25 years in prison with all but 15 years suspended for first-degree child abuse that resulted in serious injuries to the child.
A judge also ordered that she serve five years of supervised probation upon her release.
The assault occurred on January 8, 2024, outside Patient First in Waldorf, after deputies from the Charles County Sheriff’s Office responded to a report of a child being attacked.
Officers arrived to find Roberts pinned to the asphalt by bystanders, while the injured girl had been transported to safety in another vehicle nearby.
According to officials, the victim was hospitalized after suffering two skull fractures and brain bleeding.
According to investigators, Roberts lifted the child above her head and slammed her to the ground in the Patient First parking lot.
She told investigators she did it because the child was unable to recite a religious prayer completely. The incident was captured on surveillance video, and witnesses stepped in to stop the assault.
Prosecutors say Roberts, who was combative with officers on the scene, later admitted to the abuse.
During sentencing, the assigned Assistant State’s Attorney described the attack as “quite frankly unimaginable and quite shocking to see,” adding, “Certainly, there needs to be a heavy punishment for this and protection of this child.”
Judge H. James West agreed, describing the surveillance footage as “shocking” and saying, “The damage is tremendous. “The level of sadness is enormous.”
