OUTAGAMIE COUNTY (NBC 26) — Another defendant in an Outagamie County child abuse case is set to plead no contest to some charges, court records show.
Savanna Lefever, one of four people charged in connection with an extreme child abuse case out of Oneida, plans to plead no contest to two counts of chronic neglect of a child and one count of false imprisonment, according to court records filed Wednesday. One neglect count alleges great bodily harm as a consequence, while the other alleges emotional damage.
Lefever was originally charged with five counts of chronic neglect of a child.
A plea hearing on the matter is set for Aug. 28.
In Wisconsin, judges have the authority to reject plea agreements.
Lefever's charges stem from the hospitalization last August of a severely malnourished 14-year-old girl in Oneida. Authorities said she weighed just 35 pounds and suffered organ failure after being locked in a room and denied care for years.
Melissa Goodman, Walter Goodman and Kayla Stemler also were charged in connection with the case. Melissa Goodman and Kayla Stemler were convicted in May after reaching plea deals. Goodman was sentenced to 15 years in prison, and Stemler is scheduled to be sentenced Monday, Aug. 24. Meanwhile, Walter Goodman is still going through court proceedings after his defense raised a competency issue.
