Montco Teacher Accused Of Abusing Babies Released After Posting Bail

OAKS, PA — The Montgomery County daycare teacher who police said seriously injured two babies that were in her care has been released after posting bail, according to court documents.

Catalina Baldwin, 37, of Phoenixville, posted $99,000 bail on Wednesday after several weeks of incarceration at Montgomery County Correctional Facility.

Court documents indicate she was released following her preliminary hearing, where she appeared in Montgomery County Common Pleas Court in Norristown for the first time since her arrest on July 31.

During the hearing, the judge held all charges against her — including two counts of aggravated assault against a person less than 6 — meaning that her case will now proceed to trial.

See original story: New Details Emerge In Montco Teacher Who Brutally Abused 2 Babies: DA

Baldwin, a lead teacher at Oaks Early Learning Center in Oaks for five years, headed up the facility's infant program. She was responsible for feeding, lesson planning, and other "basic needs," she told police in an interview the day that one of the infants was hospitalized.

The first assault occurred around May 29, officials said. The child, a 5-month-old girl, suffered unexplained bleeding in her mouth, which was serious enough that she was taken to CHOP and put on a feeding tube, according to authorities.

The child was in the sole care of Baldwin at the time of the mysterious injury, the DA said. The CHOP Child Protection Team described that injury as “highly concerning for non-accidental trauma/child physical abuse.”

The next attack occurred on July 9, police said. It's not clear exactly what Baldwin did to the child, but later that day, investigators said she searched "shaken syndrome" on the Internet on her phone. She also described the child as a "nightmare" to her coworker in a text, police said.

First responders rushed the child to Children's Hospital of Philadelphia in King of Prussia where she was diagnosed with numerous injuries, including a subdural hematoma due to serious head injury, retinal hemorrhages in both eyes, and injuries to the ligaments in her cervical spine. She was then flown by helicopter to CHOP in Philadelphia, where part of her skull was removed to assist with treatment, the DA said.

She is currently recovering.

A specific trial start date has not yet been announced.