Nathan Hale HS taser incident: Women accused plead not guilty

WEST ALLIS, Wis. - A pair of Milwaukee women pleaded not guilty on Thursday, Jan. 6 in connection with an incident in which a student was tased at Nathan Hale High School in West Allis in November.

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The accused are Kotelia Scott and Danielle Lesueur. The pair face the following criminal counts: 

• Physical abuse of a child (intentional causation of bodily harm), as a party to a crime, use of a dangerous weapon (Scott and Lesueur)
• Bail jumping - misdemeanor (Scott)

In court Thursday, each waived their right to a preliminary hearing – and were bound over for trial.

Criminal complaint

According to the criminal complaint, West Allis police officers were dispatched to Nathan Hale High School shortly before noon on Nov. 16. for "a trouble with subject who was armed with a taser." A school official indicated he was in his office when he heard a call come over the radio regarding a disturbance on the first floor. He told officers he responded to the area "where he could hear the engagement of a 'Taser' and parties running down the hallway," the complaint says.

Students at Nathan Hale High School said there was a massive fight in the hallways that day. At some point, according to police, individuals who don’t attend Nathan Hale got into the building and tased one of the students who was involved in the fight.

One of the students involved in the fight told police that she and the other girl had exchanged words -- and that "she was scared." Defendant Scott told this girl she was at work but could come to get her. Defendant "Lesueur had to pick defendant Scott up from work as she had the vehicle," the complaint says. The student told police when Scott and Lesueur "saw her bloody face when they arrived at school," this upset them. The student told police she did not know anyone was bringing a taser. She also "explained that the defendants mentioned how (the other student) was lucky that staff intervened because they would have kept going," the complaint says.

The student that was tased told officers "the Taser caused her pain and left a mark on her back. (The student) stated the woman with the Taser tried to hit her in the face and missed."

In an interview with police, Scott "initially denied that anyone came with her to the school but later admitted that defendant Lesueur, her daughter, did come with her." The complaint says "Scott initially denied using a taser and stated that it was her cellphone and an app that made a taser sound. When confronted with the differences between an app and an actual taster, defendant Scott admitted that she was armed with a taser." She "acknowledged that she hit the girl that had been fighting (the other girl) with the taser once." Scott also told police she disposed of the taser in a dumpster at a gas station.

The two are scheduled to be back in court on Feb. 24.