Waldorf woman sentenced to 10 years for child abuse

The Charles County state’s attorney’s office announced last week that Janae Elizabeth Bishop, 32, of Waldorf was sentenced to 30 years in prison with all but 10 years suspended for two counts of second-degree child abuse.

On Aug. 30, 2023, Bishop pleaded guilty to the charges.

Bishop’s fiance reported to officers on Feb. 21, 2022, that he witnessed and recorded Bishop assaulting the children, who were five and three years old at the time of the incident, in their apartment located in Waldorf.

An investigation revealed that during the morning hours of Feb. 17, 2022, Bishop’s fiance got the 5-year-old child ready for school while Bishop was sleeping in her bed.

The fiance attempted to wake Bishop to take the child to school, however, she refused to take him. She began to make harmful statements and threatened to kill both victims, according to a press release from the state’s attorney’s office.

“Bishop got up from bed and brought the victims to the bathroom, where she filled up the bathtub. Bishop then unclothed the victims and put them into the bathtub, where she put their heads down under the water multiple times,” according to the release.

She then proceeded to take the victims out of the bathtub and brought them outside in the cold while they were wet and naked, the release said. After putting them outside, she locked the door to the apartment.

“When something like this happens in the community, there’s got to be a strong reaction. This really impacts the whole community, but mostly impacts these two boys,” Assistant State’s Attorney John Stackhouse said during the March 7 sentencing in Charles County Circuit Court. “Parents get angry. Parents discipline their kids, but this is a whole other level. There are lines that you should never cross, and she crossed those lines.”

Bishop also allegedly violated her electronic monitoring guidelines early last year based on a complaint obtained by Charles County Sheriff’s Office that alleged Bishop had left her home from 3:04 p.m. on Jan. 7 to 1:05 a.m. on Jan. 8.

Bishop was found in Landover and transported back to Charles County where she was ordered held without bond until Jan. 27 last year.

Bishop did not receive additional charges, according to court documents.