Nanny, 28, 'made child abuse images of youngster and uploaded to social media'
A nanny stands accused of abusing a child she was employed to look after and filming them to create child abuse imagery which she then distributed across social media.
Michelle Nicole Hidalgo, 28, who worked as a part-time nanny for several families in the Bay Area, California, was arrested last week after the social media company, which opted to remain anonymous, reported the content to law enforcement, according to an official statement from the Contra Costa District Attorney's Office. On Wednesday, she made her first court appearance, dressed in a simple green jail uniform, and her eyes nervously flitted around the room as she waited for her lawyers to speak with the judge, reported KRON4.
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Hidalgo was active on social media (Michelle Hidalgo/Facebook)Prosecutors charged her with seven felony counts, which included accusations of the production and distribution of the images, exploiting a minor for unlawful sex acts and committing sex acts of her own against the child. She pleaded not guilty to all the charges. The Antioch woman's arrest comes after members of the Contra Costa County Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force compiled evidence, then obtained a search warrant for her home. The reports from the social media platform were made on Thursday, September 21, and she was arrested the following day.
Law enforcement officers allegedly found equipment in her home that they allege was used to produce the imagery. It was all seized and will likely be presented to the court during her trial. Bail was set at $700,000, but prosecutors like Deputy District Attorney Paul Graves are pushing for her to be held without bail, saying that she's "a danger." The 28-year-old had still been working as a nanny for the family of the exploited child when she was arrested, he said, noting that his office is still "not sure if there are other victims" and that they're looking into the possibility of that.
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Hidalgo was still working as a nanny when she was arrested (Michelle Hidalgo/Facebook)The District Attorney's Office will likely argue to impose stricter release stipulations to keep the nanny behind bars should the defence ask for a lowered bail at her next court hearing, the date of which has yet to be revealed. Graves cautioned parents to be hyper-vigilant about who they let watch their children, stating that Hidalgo's case "is a reminder that anyone we bring into our home, or coaches, or anyone, we have to be diligent [about]."
The nanny faces jail time and will have to register as a sex offender if she's found guilty of the accusations. Most felony counts of child abuse imagery production and distribution carry about three years in prison each. No further details about the victim or the victim's family have been released — it is simply known that they are a "small child." Anyone with information about the case has been asked to provide it to Senior Inspector Darryl Holcombe by emailing [email protected].
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