Sarah Fuson Child Abuse Case: Trial, Verdict, and 20-Year Sentence

Sarah Jo Fuson, a former Clarksville daycare worker and the daughter of Montgomery County Sheriff John Fuson, was convicted in October 2025 of aggravated child abuse and child abuse after injuring a 13-month-old girl in her care, and on December 11, 2025 she was sentenced to 20 years in prison without the possibility of parole. The Sarah Fuson child abuse case turned on daycare surveillance video showing her repeatedly pushing the toddler down onto a sleeping cot, and on Tennessee’s law making aggravated child abuse of a child under eight a Class A felony that must be served day for day.

What Happened at the Daycare

In January 2023, Olivia’s parents noticed bruises on their daughter after picking her up from the Tylertown Learning Center in Clarksville, where Fuson, then 25, worked. The daycare investigated internally and fired her.¹

Surveillance video from January 9, 2023 captured two incidents. Fuson grabbed the one-year-old forcefully by the arms to reposition her in a high chair. Later, during nap time, the baby kept trying to sit up on a sleeping cot, and Fuson pushed her back down eight times, with the child’s head landing near the edge of the cot on the final push.² The bruising was severe enough that the waffle pattern of the child’s clothing remained imprinted on her skin days later.¹

Charges, TBI Investigation, and Venue Change

Because Fuson’s father ran the local sheriff’s department, District Attorney General Robert Nash asked the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation to handle the case. TBI agents opened an investigation in early 2023, and a Montgomery County grand jury indicted Fuson on one count of aggravated child abuse and one count of child abuse, both involving a victim under eight. She was booked into the Montgomery County Jail on $25,000 bond.³

In August 2024, the case was moved out of Montgomery County to the 23rd Judicial District, where Judge David D. Wolfe presided, to avoid a conflict of interest tied to the sheriff.⁴

The Mugshot Policy Controversy

Two days before the TBI publicly confirmed its investigation in March 2023, Sheriff John Fuson issued a memo ending his department’s practice of posting booking photos online. The timing drew immediate suspicion.⁵

The sheriff first described publishing mugshots as “heartless, inhumane, and just wrong.”⁶ He later told NewsChannel 5 that his daughter’s situation “did influence his decision now” and gave him “more personal perspective.”⁵ He also said, as a father, he would “do everything that I can to support and protect” his daughter through the legal process.⁷

The Trial

Fuson’s three-day trial took place in October 2025. Prosecutors, led by District Attorney Roger Moore, built their case around the daycare surveillance footage and medical evidence, arguing that Fuson owed the children a duty of care and knowingly violated it. They told jurors the severe bruising alone was enough to prove aggravated child abuse, whether or not the child also had a skull fracture.¹

A CT scan showed areas experts said could indicate a concussion or skull fracture.² Defense experts, including forensic anthropologist Dr. Madeleine Hinkes and Dr. Evan Matshes, testified there was no scalp swelling or hemorrhage and that the handling was not rough enough to fracture the skull.⁸ Defense attorney Peter Strianse argued that Fuson was inexperienced, was managing six toddlers, and had acted recklessly rather than knowingly.¹

Fuson testified. Shown the video, she said, “It does look a little rough, I will agree with that. But I wasn’t intentionally being rough with her.” Asked whether she would have kept pushing the child down, she said that after the eighth time she “probably would’ve picked her up and held her, because it was so many times, and it wasn’t working.” Asked by her own attorney if she would ever intentionally hurt a child, she answered, “No, sir.”⁸

On October 30, 2025, the jury found her guilty on both counts. She was taken into custody in the courtroom.¹

The 20-Year Sentence

Judge David Wolfe sentenced Fuson on December 11, 2025. Aggravated child abuse of a victim under eight is a Class A felony carrying 15 to 25 years; Wolfe imposed 20, citing “the nature of the charges and Fuson’s behavior.”⁴ The child abuse count carried a concurrent four-year sentence.²

The judge said he had seen no sign that Fuson accepted responsibility and that she had minimized her conduct.⁴ He quoted statements she had made in custody, including “I shouldn’t f—ing be here, I didn’t do anything,” and noted she had called the victim’s mother a liar, complained about jail food, and said her family should sue the jail so she could be released.²

Given the chance to speak, Fuson told the court: “I didn’t realize that I was being rough with Olivia in the moment. I recognize that I was rough with her and regret my conduct. To Olivia and her parents, I am so very sorry that this happened and what this has put your family through.”² Olivia’s mother, Macy Hyde, told the judge: “I ask the court to remember that behind this case is a real child. A baby who was frightened, abused, and betrayed… She deserved to feel safe, she deserved to be protected.”⁹

Why There Is No Parole

Under Tennessee law, aggravated child abuse is treated as a violent offense that must be served at 100 percent. Fuson is not eligible for parole.⁹ The offense is codified at Tennessee Code § 39-15-402, known as “Haley’s Law,” which elevates aggravated child abuse to a Class A felony when the victim is eight or younger, with a sentencing range of 15 to 25 years.¹⁰

What Comes Next

Fuson’s defense has said it will seek a new trial. A status hearing was set for May 20, 2026.¹¹

1
ClarksvilleNow. Sarah Fuson, Daughter of Montgomery County Sheriff, Found Guilty of Aggravated Child Abuse
2
Law & Crime. Sheriff’s Daughter Who Repeatedly Slammed 13-Month-Old Girl Into Cot at Day Care Learns Her Fate
3
TBI Newsroom. Former Daycare Worker Indicted, Charged in TBI Child Abuse Case
4
The Tennessean. Montgomery County TN Sarah Fuson Sentencing
5
NewsChannel 5. Sheriff Says Consideration of His Family Influenced Decision to Stop Posting Montgomery County Mugshots
6
ClarksvilleNow. Sheriff John Fuson Addresses Rumors Surrounding Removal of Booking Log Mugshots
7
Z97.5. TBI Confirms Investigation of Sheriff’s Daughter; Fuson Talks Decision Timing
8
WKRN. Montgomery County Sheriff’s Daughter Found Guilty of Child Abuse After Disturbing Daycare Videos Shown in Court
9
WKRN. Tennessee Sheriff’s Daughter Sentenced to 20 Years in Prison
10
Justia. Tennessee Code § 39-15-402
11
WSMV. Daughter of Middle Tennessee Sheriff Sentenced to Decades in Prison Over Child Abuse Convictions