‘She got what she deserved’: Caroline teacher sentenced to 18 months in prison for abusing toddler
VENN
CAROLINE COUNTY, Va. (WRIC) — A former Caroline County elementary school teacher was sentenced to 18 months in prison after she pleaded guilty to the abuse of a 3-year-old boy.
At her sentencing on Wednesday, March 11, Spenser Bettinger issued an apology to the family of the now 4-year-old boy that she assaulted. The child's mother, grandmother and great-grandmother sat stoic in the Caroline Circuit Courtroom as Bettinger admitted her actions were "cruel."
On Sept. 19, 2025, surveillance captured Bettinger pushing, chasing and slapping the preschooler on the playground of Bowling Green Elementary School. Bettinger did not disclose the incident to school officials.
Scratches found on child after he was picked up from school. (Photo: Child's mother)
An investigation was launched after the child's mother reported seeing several scratches on her son when she picked him up from school.
Bettinger was charged with felony child abuse, felony causing an injury to a child while having custody of the child and assault. She pleaded guilty to all three charges during a hearing in January.
While Bettinger waived her right to a trial, her defense team hoped to explain what led to her behavior by calling mental health expert Dr. Michele Killough Nelson to the stand on Wednesday.
Nelson testified that she conducted two psychological evaluations on Bettinger to determine if she had any underlying diagnoses that would've affected her conduct. According to Nelson, Bettinger had a history of sexual trauma, depression and substance use.
Nelson diagnosed Bettinger with depression, unspecified trauma and stress-related disorder and mild cannabis use disorder. According to Nelson, Bettinger's history of traumatic experiences could explain why she may have difficulty regulating her emotions when overwhelmed.
Neighbor reacts to child shot and killed at Petersburg complex
During cross-examination, the Commonwealth Attorney's Office pointed out that another teacher on the playground could be heard asking Bettinger if she needed help -- an offer which Bettinger denied. The prosecutor claimed Bettinger intentionally waited until her class was alone on the playground to assault the child.
The Commonwealth Attorney's Office said Bettinger's traumatic past should not be used to justify the trauma she caused to the victim.
The prosecutor also mentioned that Bettinger did not have an education degree and was working on a provisional license at the time of the incident. When asked by the prosecutor if Bettinger should not have been teaching due to her history of trauma, Nelson agreed.
The child's grandmother shared a 3-page victim impact statement, which was obtained by 8News. In the statement, she shared that the incident has permanently impacted her grandson and their entire family.
Hampton man charged after reckless driving incident involving fireworks in Richmond
"My grandson had visible marks on his body that supported what he reported," she wrote in the statement. "I strongly believe that if he had not come home with those marks — and if this assault had not been captured on video-she may still be in a position to harm other children."
Bettinger was sentenced to a year and six months with credit for time served. She was also ordered to have no unsupervised contact with minors and to comply with the court's referrals for substance abuse, and mental health therapy.
"I think she got what she deserved," said the child's grandmother after she heard the judge's ruling.
The family told 8News that the child continues to be impacted by the trauma of the assault and that he is undergoing therapy.
