WAUKESHA — A jury on Friday found a former Waukesha daycare worker guilty in a child abuse case after more than four hours of deliberation.
Heather Miller, 51, was convicted on three counts of child abuse and one count of second-degree recklessly endangering safety.
She was immediately taken into custody after the verdict and now faces up to 26 years in prison.
Court documents say the abuse occurred at the Lawrence School, a daycare center in Waukesha, in 2021 and 2022.
Watch: Former Waukesha daycare worker found guilty in child abuse case
During the trial, prosecutors presented testimony from other teachers who witnessed Miller's actions against children in her care.
"Ladies and gentlemen, this is a case of a complete shattering of trust," prosecutors said.
Court documents explain how Miller pushed a child's head into a pack-and-play, flung another child across a play area, and slammed a one-year-old face down into a crib. Jurors were shown a reenactment of the alleged abuse.
“A person who was supposed to care for them, love them, was actually abusing them," prosecutors argued.
The state contended that Miller knew the danger of her actions, calling her behavior a betrayal of both her parents and children.
"You heard from Ms. Miller herself; she knows these risks as a teacher," prosecutors said.
The defense maintained there was no video evidence or proof of the allegations.
"We didn't get any videos from them depicting this because it didn't happen," the defense argued.
The jury ultimately found Miller guilty on four of the five charges against her. She was found not guilty of abusing one of the victims a second time.
Miller's sentencing is set for November 7.
Two other workers at the Lawrence School have also been charged in this case with child abuse by failing to prevent bodily harm. They have plea and sentencing hearings scheduled for October.
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