Toddler hurt at Waukesha preschool, woman sentenced to probation

Toddler hurt at preschool, woman sentenced

A now-former Waukesha preschool worker accused of felony child abuse pleaded no contest to a lesser charge and was sentenced to probation.

WAUKESHA, Wis. - A now-former Waukesha preschool worker, originally accused of felony child abuse, pleaded no contest to a lesser charge and was sentenced to probation on Wednesday.

In Court:

Lori Weinert, 63, pleaded no contest to an amended charge of misdemeanor neglecting a child. A disorderly conduct charge was dismissed. 

FREE DOWNLOAD: Get breaking news alerts in the FOX LOCAL Mobile app for iOS or Android

In addition to serving one year of probation, the judge ordered Weinert to not have unsupervised contact with children other than in her own family. She has no other criminal history.

What they're saying:

The victim's parents were present in court via Zoom for Wednesday's hearing, but they did not speak. Weinert cried and offered her side of the story.

"I feel bad that I couldn’t catch him or turn around and grab him. I never would have expected him to do that or hit that just right," she said. "There’s no video of what I did after – putting pressure on it, yelling for help."

Weinert maintains she did not pull the boy down; she said he fell on some toys.

Toddler hurt

The backstory:

The incident happened at Cadence Academy of Waukesha last November.

Prosecutors said Weinert threw a basket at a boy's head and then grabbed his left arm and "pulled him down violently." Investigators said it caused the boy to hit his head on a shelf. The wound was almost two centimeters long and required six stitches. 

Video of victim at Cadence Academy of Waukesha

Official statements

What they're saying:

A spokesperson for the Wisconsin Department of Children and Families told FOX6 News that a supervisor and staff in the room were also cited for not reporting what happened:

"The center received a forfeiture for the director and for staff in the room not reporting suspected maltreatment.

"The Department of Children and Families (DCF) and Cadence Academy of Waukesha reached a settlement in June, which resulted in DCF withdrawing the revocation and instead issuing a $1,500 forfeiture and a plan of correction which includes robust child abuse and neglect training in addition to the initial and biannual training that staff must complete."

A Cadence Academy spokesperson provided the following statement:

"The safety and well-being of the children in our care remains our highest priority. After learning of the incident, we promptly notified authorities, conducted an internal review, and based on our findings terminated the teacher. We are in good standing with the state and are committed to maintaining a secure, supportive environment for all children and families."