FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                                                                      March 12, 2008

WOMAN CITED IN CARY “NANNY CAM ” CASE

CARY, NC – The Town of Cary Police Department has charged Stephanie Merrill, 26, of 104 Hidden Oaks Drive in Cary with two counts of Child Abuse – Putting a Child at Risk for Injury; Merrill was serving as the nanny for two Cary infants whose mother was secretly recording Merrill’s actions.  The charges – one for each of the two infants – are Class 1 Misdemeanors; each carries a maximum penalty of 120 days in jail.   As is customary in these sorts of cases, Merrill was cited and released from police custody until her case is heard in Wake County District Court.

“The joint decision of the Wake County District Attorney’s Office and the Town of Cary Police Department to cite the nanny in this case was made based on the totality of her actions over the entire day, which established a pattern of behavior that could put children at risk,” said Cary Police Chief Pat Bazemore. 

Merrill began working for the Cary family on January 2.  On February 8, the infants’ mother purchased a Nanny Cam and installed it the next day.  On February 11 from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. , the mother recorded Merrill’s treatment of the infants and filed a complaint with Cary Police on February 12.  Investigators immediately began working the case, including requesting a copy of the video from the mother and interviewing Merrill.  Contrary to some reports, law enforcement was not given a full copy of the February 11 video until February 27, at which point police and the DA began working together to evaluate the incident.

“Unfortunately and like folks throughout the nation, Cary Police only saw bits and pieces of the day’s video in the media for a full week before our requests for a full copy of the evidence were fulfilled.  Once we had the information we needed, we were able to work effectively with the DA to bring this incident to an appropriate close,” said Bazemore.   

Merrill’s first appearance in court is scheduled for Thursday, May 1 at 2 p.m.

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