Summit County child abuse case headed to second trial in September

A Summit County child-abuse case that split a jury the first time is headed back to court, with three unresolved felony counts now set for a September retrial. Lindsay E. Johnson, a 33-year-old Herriman woman who worked as a night nanny, was acquitted on five counts but faced a mistrial on the remaining three, leaving the case open and the legal questions unresolved.

Johnson was first charged on Dec. 2, 2024, in Utah’s 3rd District Court in Summit County with five counts of aggravated child abuse, described in earlier reporting as second-degree felonies. The case began after Primary Children’s Hospital contacted the Summit County Sheriff’s Office on Nov. 27, 2024, saying physicians had ruled injuries to a 6-week-old infant in Johnson’s care to be non-accidental. Court filings said the baby had been fine at a checkup six days earlier, then later suffered a brain bleed, broken ribs and two broken legs. The child also reportedly experienced seizures after being left with Johnson overnight.

Investigators said the parents left the infant with Johnson from about 10 p.m. on Nov. 26 until 7:30 a.m. the next morning. Those facts helped turn the case into one watched closely by Summit County families who rely on in-home care, especially overnight child care arrangements that require extraordinary trust. Johnson’s 12-year career in child care added to the public concern when the charges became known.

The first trial produced mixed results. A Summit County jury found Johnson not guilty on five of the eight felony counts she faced, then deadlocked on the other three, which triggered a mistrial for those unresolved charges. Johnson has remained in custody without bail while prosecutors decide how to proceed, and a judge later ordered her to stay detained during that review.

The retrial will put the state back in the position of proving the remaining aggravated child abuse counts beyond a reasonable doubt. Under current Utah law, aggravated child abuse involving serious injury can be a first-degree felony when it is done intentionally or knowingly, carrying a potential sentence of five years to life in prison and a fine of up to $10,000. The key issue for jurors will again be whether the evidence shows Johnson caused the infant’s injuries and whether prosecutors can meet the legal standard on the counts that were left undecided.

For Summit County, the case has become a test of accountability in the most fragile setting of all: a family’s decision to leave a newborn in someone else’s care. The September retrial will determine whether the unanswered charges finally reach a verdict.