Inset: Hannah Sprang appearing for her sentencing hearing (WLUK). Background: The Manitowoc County Courthouse in Wisconsin (Google Maps).
A 24-year-old Wisconsin woman will avoid time behind bars after being convicted of leaving three toddlers in her care alone in a car for nearly an hour and a half while she sat inside a salon getting her nails done.
Manitowoc County Circuit Judge Bob Dewane sentenced Hannah Sprang to probation on Monday after she pleaded no contest to three counts of child neglect, court records show.
Under the terms of a plea agreement, two of those counts were reduced from felonies to misdemeanors, while a judge agreed to defer prosecution on a third felony count for three years. If Sprang complies with all court conditions — including a permanent ban on offering "babysitting or day care services" — the felony charge will eventually be dismissed.
The details of the July incident were outlined in a criminal complaint that described a disturbing level of indifference on the part of the defendant.
According to a probable cause affidavit obtained by Green Bay, Wisconsin, Fox affiliate WLUK, officers were dispatched to a local spa at approximately 12:17 p.m. regarding a report of children left unattended in a vehicle. Upon arriving, an officer made contact with Sprang at her SUV, where she was caring for three children between the ages of 1 and 2.
The charging document suggests that Sprang initially made several excuses and tried to downplay how she treated the children.
"Hannah seemed unfazed by the reason for contact or that she left three children in an unattended and not running vehicle," police wrote in a probable cause affidavit. "Hannah stated that she was at (a nail salon) to get her nails done and that they had made her wait because they were not ready for her. Hannah stated that her appointment was for 1100 hours but did not get in right away. Hannah stated that she then checked on the children several times during her appointment."
However, investigators soon obtained surveillance footage from the salon that undercut Sprang's story. From the affidavit:
I was provided access to the video surveillance and learned that Hannah arrived in the chair at 1049 hours. At 1149 hours (one (1) hour later), Hannah left to check on the children. Hannah then returns and does not leave until 1217 hours when she observed my squad behind her vehicle in the parking lot. The total amount of time the children were in the unattended vehicle was one hour and twenty-eight minutes. I then made contact with Hannah and informed her that she provided me with misinformation as she only checked on the children one time during her visit to get her nails done. Again, Hannah appeared to be unfazed by this information.
The officer further noted that while the ambient temperature outside was a mild 69 degrees, the interior of the vehicle — which was not running — consistently measured 81.1 degrees.
The complaint also highlights Sprang's alleged lack of cooperation as police attempted to secure contact information for the victims' families. From the document:
I explained to Hannah that I wanted all of the children's information and a phone number to each parent. Hannah was not real cooperative with me. Hannah intermittently provided information to me; however, felt the need to be texting and calling each parent prior to me having a chance to talk to them. Hannah stated that she had made notification to each parent and they were responding to our location.
During Monday's sentencing hearing, prosecutors read a statement from the parents of one of the 2-year-old victims in which they said their son was still traumatized by being left in the car.
"Even today, there are still moments when we pull into a parking spot and he says, 'Don't leave me in here,'" the statement reportedly said.
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