MINERAL POINT, Wis. — An Iowa County daycare worker charged with reckless homicide in a child neglect case stood mute Friday as court officials entered a not guilty plea on her behalf.
Joanna Ford, 29, is charged with one count of first-degree reckless homicide, one count of neglecting a child resulting in death, four counts of neglecting a child, and one count of neglecting a child where the specified harm didn’t occur, according to online court records.
In a criminal complaint filed against Ford, prosecutors said the victim — 4-month-old Wyatt Hamlin — died a week after suffering injuries while in Ford’s care. Ford provided daycare services at her own home.
The medical examiner’s office said abusive head trauma was determined to be the cause of Hamlin’s death.
Ford was arrested at the end of March. A judge ordered she be held on a $10,000 cash bond during her initial court appearance. Her next appearance in Iowa County Court is scheduled for Aug. 15.
News 3 Now cannot find any indication Ford was licensed to provide child care in Wisconsin, which is only required under state law when a person is providing care for four or more children under 7 years old for less than 24 hours at a time. Besides Ford’s own three children, Hamlin and another toddler were in the home that day, according to court records.
There’s no record in Wisconsin’s current database of licensed childcare providers for Ford’s name or address, and a search of state records for child care providers whose licenses were denied or revoked in the last five years did not return results for her information.
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