Bail denied for woman accused of attacking Pittsburgh teacher

PITTSBURGH — The woman accused of following and then attacking her daughter’s teacher last week will remain in jail.

Judge Jeffrey A. Manning denied bail for Daishonta Wiliams at a bond hearing Wednesday morning, a decision that upset her considerably.

On a live video feed from the Allegheny County Jail, Williams began shaking her head and hands, saying, "I can't breathe, I can't breathe" and crying and moaning.

The district attorney’s office argued teachers are a protected class, and Manning agreed, saying, "like police officers ... but even more so because teachers can't fight back."

Williams' attorney, Blaine Jones, said she should be free while she puts together a defense.

"She's a woman who should be able to fight her case out on the street," he said.

Her roommate, Latoya Jackson, was hoping for the same.

"I'm just here to support my friend.," she said.

Police said Williams went to King pre-K-8 on Oct. 18 for a conference about an incident involving her daughter.

The teacher, Janice Watkins, told police that the girl bit her after an altercation over a cellphone.

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Williams maintains that Watkins choked her daughter.

"First she went to the school to address it, the school kind of told her to go somewhere else, she went to the police station and the police told her to go back to the Pittsburgh school police, so every step along the way no one was listening to what Ms. Williams had to say," Jones said.

After the conference, police said Williams and her boyfriend, Vincent Beasley, followed Watkins as she left the school and approached her as she sat in a car at the West End Bridge.

That's when police say Williams threw a brick at her through the driver's side window and assaulted her.  Police said Watkins told them Beasley "pulled her head back by yanking her hair."

Williams is facing aggravated assault, stalking, terroristic threats and reckless endangerment charges.

Beasley is facing charges, including aggravated assault, conspiracy to commit aggravated assault and stalking.

Both are in the Allegheny County jail awaiting a preliminary hearing.

WPXI’s Courtney Brennan was in the courtroom for today’s hearing.  She’ll have reaction coming on Channel 11 News beginning at 5 p.m. 

Cox Media Group