Administrators at Waukesha's Lawrence School knew about alleged child abuse but didn't report it, new charges say
Prosecutors have filed new charges, now also involving two administrators, tied to multiple child abuse allegations at the Lawrence School daycare center in Waukesha.
Heather Miller, 49, of Waukesha, who in September was charged in Waukesha County Circuit Court with child abuse - intentionally causing bodily harm and second-degree recklessly endangering safety, now faces three additional felony counts of physical abuse of a child — one for each victim — by a childcare provider.
Kathryn Ascher, 52, of Waukesha, and Annemarie Fraker, 26, of Sussex, were each charged Thursday with failure to act to prevent bodily harm to a child, also felonies.
The seven criminal counts stem from an investigation that culminated in the closing of the facility at 3311 Saylesville Road on Sept. 14, when police executed a search warrant and cleared the center of preschool children and staff.
Miller was employed at the school as a lead teacher in one of the infant rooms when a young child, identified only as Victim A, became the subject of child abuse allegations on Aug. 17, when another teacher reportedly witnessed Miller verbally and physically abusing a young child, according to the original criminal complaint.
Miller allegedly set up mattresses to block room surveillance cameras, but was seen by the witness slamming the 1-year-old boy "face down into a crib." The witness, and his parents, later reported that the child appeared lethargic and in physical and emotional stress for some time afterward.
That version of the complaint, filed Sept. 15, said the worker who witnessed the incident reported it to Ascher and Fraker, both directors at the Lawrence School. Neither went to the room in which the incident occurred, and Miller was allowed to continue working at the facility for weeks afterward, authorities said.
According to the amended complaint filed Jan. 26, both Ascher and Fraker were likely aware of problems beforehand.
In response to an unannounced visit Sept. 6 by a state licensing specialist, both administrators denied having been informed of abuse allegations involving the child, despite a written statement filed by the witness that prompted the state interview.
But as the investigation by Waukesha police unfolded, two other child victims were discovered, all involving very young children (whose exact ages were not specified in the complaint), reinforcing a pattern of abuse by Miller and failures to correct the problem, the amended complaint said.
The amended complaint said Miller slammed the head of one child, a girl, into the bottom of a playpen when she woke up early from her nap and reached out to Miller to be picked up. The other, a boy, was treated roughly on several occasions, including once when he was tossed nearly 10 feet by Miller, who was angry that he had vomited after drinking from his bottle. The boy landed on his face.
The complaint included text messages sent by Ascher and Fraker revealing their knowledge of concerns about Miller's care of children and whether the The Lawrence School's owner, Jim Hoeft, was aware of what was happening. Hoeft has not been charged.
Miller was released on a $6,000 cash bond. As conditions of her release, she is prohibited from having any contact with children under the age of 18 (with the exception of her own children) and cannot work in any child care setting. She has pleaded not guilty to the charges.
If she is convicted, Miller could face substantial prison time. The maximum penalty for second-degree reckless endangerment is 10 years and a $25,000 fine. For each child abuse count, she could face six years and a $10,000 fine, with prison time potentially increased five years per count because of her role in providing child care services to the victims.
Ascher and Fraker are both expected to make initial court appearances on Feb. 16. If convicted, they could each face a maximum sentence of six years in prison and a $10,000 fine.
The daycare center, which was also a collaboration site for the Waukesha School District for morning and afternoon 4K classes and had generated a lengthy list of concerns and violations before the current criminal cases, remains closed.
Contact Jim Riccioli at (262) 446-6635 or james.riccioli@jrn.com. Follow him on Twitter at @jariccioli.
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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Waukesha Lawrence School administrators charged in child abuse case
