Lawrence School child abuse trial day 3; teacher testifies in her own defense
Teacher accused of child abuse testifies
The defense rested Thursday in the child abuse trial of Heather Miller, a former lead teacher at The Lawrence School in Waukesha.
WAUKESHA, Wis. - The defense rested Thursday, Sept. 25, in the child abuse trial of Heather Miller, a former lead teacher at The Lawrence School in Waukesha.
What we know:
Miller, accused of abusing multiple children, testified in her own defense as jurors prepare to hear closing arguments Friday morning.
Heather Miller
Earlier in the week, state witnesses described Miller as abusive toward three children in her care, including allegations that she forcefully held down a child, leaving red marks. Miller offered the jury a different version of events.
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"To get him away from the vomit that was on the floor, I put my hands underneath his arms and I took him from one area and slid him across the floor," Miller testified. "I tried to calm her down. One of the things that normally calmed her down was for me to rub her hair by her ear."
Heather Miller
The defense also called Kacie Haw, the former school director, to the stand.
"The whole time you were at the Lawrence facility – did any teacher ever come to say Ms. Miller hurt a child?" asked defense attorney Pablo Galaviz.
"No," Haw replied.
Investigators say witnesses reported what they saw to managers, but they did not take action.
Prosecutors have argued that Miller intentionally blocked surveillance cameras with mattresses, and investigators testified earlier that staff members failed to act when concerns were raised.
Miller acknowledged during testimony that she had been told multiple times not to prop up mattresses.
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Jury instructions and closing arguments are scheduled to begin Friday morning.
The backstory:
Miller, 51, was charged after a 2022 police investigation into The Lawrence School.
Lawrence School child abuse; child care teacher trial, day 2 testimony
Prosecutors called doctors and eyewitnesses to the stand in the Heather Miller child abuse trial on Wednesday, Sept. 24.
The school has since closed after authorities found it operating at over 150% of its licensed capacity. Two co-workers, Kathryn Asher and Annemarie Fraker, were also charged in connection to the case and are scheduled for plea hearings in October.
Miller resigned from The Lawrence School in September 2022 following an unannounced state visit. She faces four counts of child abuse and one count of second-degree recklessly endangering safety.
The Source: Information in this post was provided by Wisconsin Circuit Court Access as well as previous FOX6 News coverage.