LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — A Henderson teacher, allegedly seen in a viral video grabbing a 3-year-old child, reached a plea agreement with Clark County prosecutors.
Heather Heifner, 24, agreed to an Alford plea on Wednesday in Clark County District Court to a gross misdemeanor charge of child abuse, neglect, or endangerment, according to court records. The maximum she faces is three years of probation.
An Alford plea means she did not admit guilt but agreed prosecutors had enough evidence to convince a jury to convict her, records said.
Heifner’s criminal case was tied to an incident that occurred on April 19, 2024, at DJ’s Christian Daycare/Preschool located on Arroyo Grande Boulevard between Paseo Verde and Horizon Ridge parkways in Henderson.
She was captured in a video — that went viral — forcibly grabbing Lilly Royal, who was 3 at the time.
“I haven’t had one apology from her. I haven’t had an apology from DJ’s Christian Center. I have had no one reach out to me,” the child’s mother Kayla Zomerdyk told 8 News Now last year. “It makes me sick that she did that to my daughter and that she’s just walking around like nothing happened.”
Investigators from Nevada’s Child Care Licensing, a program meant to monitor licensed childcare facilities and their compliance with state laws and regulations, performed an on-site survey, finding that Heifner failed to implement “positive discipline” and “mishandled the child,” according to their report.
Officials from DJ’S Christian Preschool/Daycare previously said Heifner’s employment was immediately terminated following the incident. She had worked at the school for four years without prior complaint, police documents said.
Although the incident happened in April, court records showed an arrest warrant for Heifner wasn’t issued until July 2.
