Bennington woman charged for second time in four months with cruelty to a child

BENNINGTON — A Bennington woman who pleaded guilty four months ago to a charge of cruelty to a child was arraigned Monday morning on the same charge with the same victim and an additional count of domestic assault with a prior conviction.

Lisa Mears, 33, appearing from a correctional facility via Webex, was charged with a felony count of second-degree domestic assault with a prior conviction and misdemeanor cruelty to a child at her arraignment Monday at the Bennington Courthouse. She faces a possible seven years behind bars if convicted on both charges.

Mears pleaded guilty back in March to a single count of cruelty to a child. She received a sentence of 30-60 days — all suspended. The sentence was to run concurrently with a guilty plea Mears took in a 2021 case of aggravated domestic assault that she was sentenced to in 2022. Mears received a probation term of 18 months from her sentencing. In exchange for the guilty plea, prosecutors dismissed another charge of aggravated domestic assault. Mears was charged with the latest counts while still on probation.

According to a police affidavit, on April 10, 2024, just two weeks after her prior sentencing, police responded to an address on School Street in Bennington to assist the Department of Children and Families in an investigation into the alleged physical abuse of a seven-year-old child.

Mears has a criminal history in Vermont, including but not limited to a conviction for child cruelty in 2024 and an aggravated domestic assault in 2022.

Mears wrote a handwritten letter to the judge in the case that is part of the public record. In the letter, Mears complains about still being in jail as she awaits a hearing, and lack of communication with her public defender. She informed the judge that she has a different video that prosecutors have that shows a different camera angle to the alleged abuse. She also states that her children are now living with her husband, with whom she is now separated.

“I will never be around the kids again,” Mears said. “I am really trying to better myself.”

Mears is being held without bail at the Chittenden Regional Correctional Facility in Burlington on both charges as she awaits her next hearing. Mears is expected to face additional charges, including probation violations. She was ordered to have no contact with any of her children.