Anxiety and a vague psychiatric disorder was the explanation offered for the bizarre conduct by a former La Jolla real estate agent who scratched and tore off the skin of eight babies she offered to hold for their mothers at social events. A psychological evaluation of Lisa Marie Hench, 45, was ordered sealed by San Diego Superior Court Judge Michael Smyth, who tried to make sense of the crime at her Jan. 25 sentencing. Hench will surrender on March 18 to begin her two-year term at the Las Colinas Women’s Detention Facility, and she remains free on $75,000 bond in Del Mar. Smyth said if Hench gets a job, she could be eligible for serving her sentence in a work-furlough facility. Her attorney, Steve Feldman, told Smyth “she was run out of town” and “moved her children from one school to another” following stories of the bizarre case. “She’s been filleted. She’s had her career destroyed,” Feldman said. “She’s in therapy taking psychiatric medications. She’s remorseful. She’s been punished.” Feldman unsuccessfully sought no jail time and asked the judge for community service. Hench pleaded guilty Dec. 2 to eight misdemeanor counts of inflicting corporal injury to a child and received the maximum sentence. “It does seem predatory in nature. It appears to me she did seek out infants or children to cause pain to them,” Smyth said. “It’s possible she’s just evil, but I doubt that’s the case.” The judge said the crimes spanned several months at different locations. “I accept there is a mental health basis,” said Smyth. “I do believe they were planned because of the requests to hold babies.” The injuries were all minor, but they included scratched ears that bled, skin torn off toes and at least one baby was punched or pinched five times in the torso, the judge said. Smyth said Hench would apparently injure babies in response to personal anxiety. Smyth also imposed four years probation, a $714 fine and ordered Hench to continue psychiatric treatment. Hench is barred from having any contact with children except her own. The parents of two victims told the judge Hench offered to hold their babies at a school event and the infants began crying and wailing shortly afterwards. It was at that event that Hench’s conduct was uncovered because two babies who were both held by Hench suffered injuries. In court, Hench said she was “truly, truly sorry this happened.” “I’ve been in therapy since the incident happened,” Hench said. “I wouldn’t want somebody to do that to my children.”