Kristina Kallies, a former paraprofessional at North Middle School in Great Falls, appeared in court today and pleaded not guilty to charges of felony assault on a minor and endangering the welfare of children.
Kallies and another former para-professional, Julie Ann Parish, are charged with abusing an autistic child last spring.
The alleged crimes happened inside a special education classroom at North Middle School.
Both women resigned over the summer and were formally charged several weeks ago.
Trials are scheduled to begin for both Kallies and Parish in early April.
(November 12, 2009) Kristina Marie Kallies appeared in a Great Falls courtroom on Thursday to face two charges related to allegations of abuse at North Middle School: assault on a minor, which is a felony; and endangering the welfare of children, a misdemeanor.
Kallies faces the same charges as another former North Middle School employee, Julie Ann Parish, who pled not guilty last week. Kallies faces up to five and a half years in prison and over $50,000 in fines if found guilty on both charges.
Multiple parents, who say their children were abused by both women, were in court today. They say the court case is a big step, but not the end goal in their fight.
Tifonie Schilling, the mother an autistic teen who is an alleged victim in this case, said, "The criminal matter does not fix the big picture in all this. It's really up to the Great Falls School District to fix problems inside the special ed program."
Kallies did not say much in her hearing today except to ask the judge if she could return home to Texas where she's been living with her husband and young son.
The case is moving to Judge Macek who will not make the decision on whether Kallies can leave until her next hearing, which has not yet been scheduled.
(November 11, 2009) Only one former staff member of the Great Falls Public School District has appeared in court to face charges related to child abuse at North Middle School.
Prosecutors charge that two paraprofessional staff members, Julie Anne Parish and Kristina Kallies, severely abused a 13-year-old autistic boy in his classroom. The abuse is alleged to have happened for months and included forcing the boy to eat his own vomit and sit in his own fecal-soiled clothing.
Parish appeared in District Court in October to face the charges, but Kallies did not because she had moved to Texas.
Now, weeks after the charges were filed - and more than a year after the abuse was alleged to have occurred - Kallies has returned to Great Falls. Kallies was booked into the Cascade County Jail on Wednesday afternoon; she posted $5,000 bond and was released.
She is scheduled to appear in court on Thursday.
(October 19, 2009) Charges have been filed against two former employees of North Middle School stemming from allegations of abuse against a student that occurred in 2008.
Julie Ann Parish and Kristina Marie Kallies were charged in District Court on October 5, 2009, with felony assault on a child, and endangering the welfare of children, which is a misdemeanor.
According to court documents received by KRTV, the allegations involve several charges of abuse of an autistic child at North Middle School between October 5, 2008, and December 19, 2008.
The court documents allege that the child, who was 14 at the time, was forced to eat his own vomit and sit in his own feces for several hours. Parish and Kallies were assigned as paraprofessional staff at the time.
