New Hampshire daycare worker who gave children melatonin avoids prison time

A New Hampshire daycare worker who drugged kids by lacing their food with melatonin won’t serve any jail time, per a court sentencing decision Monday.

According to the Hillsborough North Superior Court docket seen by Fox News Digital, Dreckmann, 53, pleaded guilty to falsifying physical evidence and reckless conduct. 

Judge Amy Messer handed down a suspended sentence of up to seven years in prison.

Messer barred Dreckmann from operating or working in any form of daycare and from having unsupervised contact with children under 18, except for her own family. 

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She was also ordered to pay restitution, complete 100 hours of community service and avoid all contact with the victims and their families.

The shocking case dates back to November 2023, when Manchester police got a report of unsafe practices at the Amory Street in-home daycare. 

Detectives found that melatonin, an over-the-counter sleep aid, was being sprinkled into food given to children.

Police said no children became seriously ill, but said that the melatonin posed serious health risks.

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“For it to be given to children without the knowledge or consent of the parents, it’s very concerning,” Manchester Police Department spokesperson Heather Hamel said at the time.

Following an investigation, arrest warrants were issued in May 2024 for Dreckmann and three employees: Traci Innie, 51; Kaitlin Filardo, 23; and Jessica Foster, 23. 

All four were charged with 10 counts of endangering the welfare of a child.

Originally indicted on more than 30 charges, including child endangerment, assault, and falsifying evidence, Dreckmann accepted a plea deal that led to the suspended sentence. 

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Prosecutor, Shawn Sweeney said the case highlighted a dangerous loophole in New Hampshire law, per Boston.com.

“It’s like a blind spot in the law,” Sweeney told the outlet and explained that endangering the welfare of a child is not always treated as a felony. 

A bill to strengthen the statute was also rejected by local lawmakers in May over concerns it might criminalize ordinary parental mistakes.

Without the legislative changes, Sweeney added, lighter sentences are often inevitable: “Without the law to back us up, we get what we get,” she said.

Fox News Digital reached out to the New Hampshire Judicial Branch, whose spokesperson said: “We do not comment on individual cases.”