The case against a woman charged with child abuse while working at Cadence Academy Preschool in Menomonee Falls is moving forward.
On Monday, a Waukesha County judge found enough evidence for 27-year-old Madeline Ferguson to go to trial. Ferguson pleaded not guilty to two felony counts of physical abuse of a child.
According to the criminal complaint, surveillance video shows the then preschool worker hit a three-year-old boy in the head with a water bottle and then grab him by the back of his neck, dragging him across the room to sit in a chair.
The father of the boy previously spoke to TMJ4 News with the promise to conceal his identity to protect his family's privacy. He says he watched the 80-second video of his son being abused by Ferguson.
According to the criminal complaint, Ferguson told police she did this because of spilled water.
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“I’m disgusted, sickened, traumatized. I had to watch my son be abused with nothing I could do,” the father told TMJ4 News. “My son has marked behavior changes and I’m worried how he’s going to react to this for the rest of his life."
The father shared a photo of his son’s neck with TMJ4 News. It shows distinct deep scratch marks on the boy’s neck.
“This was a 27-year-old female attacking a 3-year-old, causing lacerations near his jugular vein,” the father said. “She could have killed him.”
After the incident, the father says Ferguson sent them a message about the injury, asking if it happened at home and saying it would not stop bleeding.
A background check on Ferguson showed she doesn’t have any prior charges against her in Wisconsin. Ferguson is due back in court for a hearing on Nov. 30.
