Child abuse case adjourned
Plea deal considered
Trending
ESCANABA – The child abuse case involving a former teacher's aide at the Delta Schoolcraft Intermediate School District (DSISD) Learning Center has been adjourned -- for now.
Robin Merle Popour, 54, of Gladstone, appeared in the Delta County Circuit Court Monday, during which Delta County Prosecuting Attorney Lauren Wickman said she recently received a plea offer from Popour’s attorney Trenton Stupak.
The case has been adjourned to allow time for Wickman to discuss the offer with the family of the special needs student who is the alleged victim. Popour was arraigned in March on one count of third-degree child abuse, a felony punishable by two years in prison or probation for up to five years.
The charge stems from an incident that took place on Dec. 17, 2025, when an alleged altercation occurred between Popour and the student.
According to the police report, a Delta County Sheriff's Office deputy spoke with various staff members at the center on Dec. 19 after being contacted the day prior by the center’s principal, Timothy Racicot. The deputy specifically interviewed three teachers' aides who were in the classroom at some point during the time of the alleged incident.
The aides reported seeing the student interact inappropriately with a harness in a wooden cubby, to which Popour reportedly said, "I don't care if he hits me, I am taking his harness."
Popour allegedly proceeded to take the student's harness, temporarily resolving the situation.
Sometime later, the student was sitting at their table and began to stand up and sit down repeatedly. An aide told the deputy she told the student to sit down when Popour "interjected herself, yelling at [the student] to sit down."
The student then began making what was described by multiple aides as pinching motions, but he did not touching anyone. The student allegedly went to pinch Popour and stood up, at which point Popour "grabbed him and threw [the student] against the window," said one aide.
According to the report, Popour's hands were on the student's biceps. Witnesses reported seeing the student and Popour screaming.
"None of us helped because I'm not going to help you throw a kid up against a wall," said an aide. "There was no need for her actions, she could [have] easily walked away."
The report noted the student did not touch Popour until Popour allegedly pushed him up against the window. The classroom's teacher, Jeffrey Roman, walked into the room and reported seeing the student latching onto Popour's arms. "I was shocked because I was just out of the room taking another student to the bathroom for maybe 20 minutes," Roman told the investigating deputy.
According to DSISD Superintendent Kristina Hansen, she and the center's administration were notified of the incident Dec. 18. Hansen said the employee was immediately placed on administrative leave pending the investigation.
An administrative investigation was conducted on Dec. 19, and Popour was subsequently terminated.
In the following days after the incident, an aide in the classroom noticed bruise marks on the student where Popour allegedly grabbed him.
Hansen stated, "Based on the investigation, the administrative team determined that the now-former employee failed to meet the professional, safety and conduct expectations required of a staff member and that the now-former employee operated outside of district policy, established procedures and standards established during provided training."
Popour was released from the Delta County Jail on a $5,000 cash/surety bond on Jan.17. Her final pretrial conference, which constitutes the deadline for plea negotiations, has been scheduled for Sept. 1.