Daycare worker accused of harming 1-year-old pleads not guilty as jury views video and photos

A defendant charged with harming a 1-year-old child pleaded not guilty in Montgomery County Circuit Court as the jury heard photos and watched surveillance video showing the child being handled roughly in a daycare classroom.

Prosecutors told the jury the case centers on a “betrayal of trust” by Sarah Jo Fuson, a daycare worker at Tyler Town Learning Center, and previewed testimony and exhibits including the child’s mother, daycare surveillance footage and medical records. "This case is about a betrayal," Mr. Holder, the prosecutor, told jurors during opening statements.

The indictment (read in court) charges Fuson with aggravated child abuse in Count 1 and child abuse in Count 2 under Tennessee law; the defendant entered a plea of not guilty before the jury. The judge instructed jurors on the state’s burden to prove each element beyond a reasonable doubt, on the limited role of opening statements and closing arguments, and on rules prohibiting outside…