Ex-nanny allegedly admitted abusing 1-year-old

A Cottonwood Heights nanny is accused of abusing her 1-year-old charge, using a kitchen scrub to scrape skin off her face and snapping a rubber band against the toddler's leg.

In charges filed last week in 3rd District Court, police wrote that Traci Omer, 21, watched the toddler and her 2-year-old sibling from February to July.

In April, the children's mother noticed a scratch on the 1-year-old's forehead, but Omer said the girl had scratched herself, police wrote. In July, the child's father saw a bruise on her head, which was concealed with makeup, police wrote.

Omer initially denied putting on the makeup but later admitted the girl hit her head in the tub, and Omer used makeup to cover up the bruise, police wrote. The parents fired Omer two days later.

In August, the parents received a letter from Omer, who said the 1-year-old "was not safe" in Omer's care, police wrote.

Omer wrote that she force-fed bottles to the girl, poked her with objects, snapped her with a rubber band to make her cry, and scratched the child's cheek, police wrote.

Omer also said she gave the child an "angry scrub" with a kitchen sponge, police wrote.

"I had gone so far as to scrape off skin and draw blood. It was surprisingly easy to do," Omer allegedly wrote.

She also said she could have prevented the child from falling in the tub the day the bruise appeared in July.

Omer was charged with one count of second-degree felony child abuse. Charges do not describe any abuse against the 2-year-old child.

She was booked into the Salt Lake County jail on Tuesday. Bail was set at $50,000 cash-only.

Also Tuesday, Omer made her initial court appearance. A bail hearing is set for Thursday.

ealberty@sltrib.com