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CASPER, Wyo. (AP) — A Wyoming police officer has pleaded not guilty to mistreating one of her adopted children.
Laura Wells, of Casper, entered the plea Wednesday in Natrona County District Court to a charge of felony child abuse.
Authorities accuse Wells of subjecting the teenage boy to "extreme punishment," which included forcing him to walk two hours each way to and from school and failing to meet his mental health needs.
During an earlier preliminary hearing, her attorney argued that the allegations might constitute bad parenting but were not criminal.
Her husband, Casper Police Sgt. Todd Wells, was initially charged with a misdemeanor, but prosecutors later dismissed that case.
Laura Wells is free on $10,000 bond. She was placed on administrative leave in November.
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