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Mother demands justice for daughter with autism as Miami-Dade judge keeps battery case open a year more

A mother is pleading for justice after her 21-year-old daughter with autism's battery charges were not dropped, despite a ruling that she is incompetent to stand trial.

Halle Hansen was charged with battery following an incident last year at American Senior High School, where she allegedly struck a teacher after her cellphone was confiscated.

Hansen's mother, Ester King, expressed distress in the courthouse hallway following the hearing, where a Miami-Dade judge ruled the case would remain open for another year.

"My child shouldn't be going through this," King said.

Judge Maria Elena Verde-Yanez addressed the legal requirements during the proceeding, stating, "The law requires that after one year of remaining incompetent, I may dismiss; actually, I shall dismiss all charges in this after one year of the defendant remaining incompetent to proceed."

The teacher involved in the incident has indicated a desire to move forward with the charges.

"According to the victim, this is not the first time this has happened at the school, and she is not willing to dismiss the case at this time," prosecutor Ian Muir said.

King and her attorney are calling on the Miami-Dade County Public Schools district to release surveillance video of the incident, which King believes will exonerate her daughter.

"We get a subpoena to get the video camera out of the cafeteria of the incident, the whole world will change about this incident," King said.

CBS News Miami reached out to the Miami-Dade State Attorney's Office for comment on the case but had not received a response.

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