HENDERSON (KTNV) — The childcare worker seen in a viral video forcefully grabbing a small child at a Henderson daycare center has now taken a plea deal in the case.
Heather Heifner submitted an Alford plea in her case, meaning she accepts the charge against her but maintains her innocence.
Under the Alford plea, Heifner accepted a gross misdemeanor charge of child abuse, neglect or endangerment. She was initially charged with three felony counts of child abuse.
The video was first brought to light in April 2024, when the parents of a 3-year-old child reached out to Channel 13 with concerns about how she was treated at DJ's Christian Daycare.
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"In my eyes, it was child abuse," Lillyanna's mother, Kayla Zomerdyk, told Channel 13 in a previous interview.
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Daycare owner Debbie Abendroth previously told us she found the incident disturbing and fired Heifner.
According to the agreement Channel 13 obtained on Friday, Heifner acknowledged she may be imprisoned in the Clark County Detention Center for no more than a year and could be fined up to $2,000 — among other stipulations.
