Teacher’s Aide Accused in Battery Case Appears in Court

A former teacher’s aide at Horace Mann Middle School charged with battery on a student was in court this week for a pretrial hearing. Lillian Branham’s attorney said he has not received copies of the surveillance video from inside the special needs classroom where Branham worked. Kanawha County Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Josh Gainer said that state needed some time to get a copy of the video made and sent to the attorney. Branham is one of four people who were arrested in the classroom following an investigation last summer by the Charleston Police Department. Branham remains free on bond. If convicted, she faces up to one year in jail and a maximum $500 fine.