Trial to be scheduled for Bangor day-care provider charged with neglect of infant, leading to injuries

A daycare provider from Bangor will be scheduled for trial, on a felony charge of child neglect.

Heather Reed entered a plea of not guilty on Friday, at a hearing before La Crosse County Judge Gloria Doyle. Reed faces two charges, including a misdemeanor count of running a day-care facility without a license.

Prosecutors say a three-month-old baby received multiple injuries, including broken bones and a skull fracture, while being cared for by Reed in her home day-care setting last year. A La Crosse police investigator testified about the extent of the child’s injuries. It’s disputed between the prosecution and defense whether those injuries were intentional, or a result of neglect, because Reed was caring for up to eight children at a time.

Reed’s attorney also suggests that some of the child’s injuries might have occurred in the birthing process. The judge says that possibility is less likely, because the injuries were discovered months after the child’s birth.

Reed’s next court hearing is scheduled for April 20th.