A 37-year-old Hastings woman has been charged with 昀rst-degree assault causing great bodily harm of a four-month-old child in her care.

Megan Appert was also charged last week in Dakota County Court with third-degree assault with a victim under 4 years old.

The boy was admitted to the pediatric intensive care unit for treatment of a subdural brain bleed on Jan. 13 after becoming ill at a day care operated by Appert. Appert allegedly texted the child’s mother about noon Jan. 12 that the child was inconsolable, asking if something was wrong with his neck. The boy’s mother received more texts from Appert throughout the afternoon. She left work early, and the boy was crying in his car seat when she picked him up.

Police were contacted, and Appert told them she didn’t know how the boy was injured. She told investigators a week later that she had “wiggled” the boy out of a chair. She showed of昀cers what she had done. Following that, she reportedly started crying and said, “I didn’t do this, did I?,” She was heard telling her husband, “I might have done it.”

According to the complaint, cellphone records obtained indicated Appert searched the internet Jan. 12 for “shaken baby syndrome and “dontshake.org” on ensuing days. A physician told authorities that the boy’s injuries were not routine. The boy had injuries consistent with abusive head trauma. The complaint states the boy remained in the hospital until Jan. 21. He takes medication to control seizures.

Appert has a hearing in Dakota County Court July 13. Following the report of the incident, Appert’s license to provide childcare services was immediately suspended. A letter from Minnesota Department of Health Services states, “Based on the recommendation of Dakota County Community Services (Dakota County), the Department of Human Services (DHS) is immediately suspending your license to provide family child care. This immediate suspension is based on a determination that children served by your program are at an imminent risk of harm.”