A Lee County judge will determine May 4 if probable cause exists in a case against a Sterling mental health technician accused of abusing a resident of a Dixon care facility for people with developmental disabilities.

Shanna M. Hillers, 44, of Sterling is charged in Lee County with aggravated battery in a public place, a Class 3 felony; official misconduct of a public employee, a Class 3 felony; and abuse/criminal neglect of a resident of a long-term care facility, a Class 4 felony. All charges were filed Feb. 25 and Hillers has not entered a plea, court records show.

The charges allege that on or about Dec. 3, 2025, Hillers, an employee of a long-term care facility, “knowingly made physical contact of an insulting of provoking nature” when she kicked a Jack Mabley Developmental Center resident while on the center’s property in Dixon, court records show.

The charges further allege that Hillers kicked the resident in her official capacity as a facility employee despite knowing it was forbidden by law and caused the resident’s “life to be endangered, health to be injured, or pre-existing physical or mental condition to deteriorate,” court records show.

As of March 1, Hillers was employed as a mental health technician at a state-operated developmental center for people with developmental disabilities, according to Illinois Department of Human Services records.

Jack Mabley provides treatment for adults with intellectual developmental disabilities. It is one of seven state-operated centers in Illinois and the only center located in the northwestern part of the state, according to the IDHS.

Hillers was not detained and Lee County Circuit Judge Jacquelyn D. Ackert ordered March 18 that Hillers be given pretrial release as she is not charged with an offense that makes her eligible for detention under Illinois law, court records show.

The conditions of Hillers’s release are that she must have no contact with the alleged victim, is not permitted at the Jack Mabley Center except for administrative purposes and the administration building, must report to and comply with the orders of court services, appear at and comply with the orders of the court and not violate any laws of any jurisdiction, court records show.

On Wednesday, Hillers appeared before Ackert with her attorney, Mitchel R. Johnston of Mertes Law Firm in Sterling, for a preliminary hearing. Johnston asked the court to reschedule the preliminary hearing for a date around two weeks away.

A preliminary hearing is an early court proceeding during which a judge will determine if there is enough evidence to reasonably believe that a crime was committed by the defendant. Defendants have the right to waive this process.

Ackert granted the request and set it for 9 a.m. May 4.