'Tears of joy' as Steamboat kindergarten teacher, injured by stab wound, reunites with students

Kylie Leggett wiped away tears with a tissue as she watched her pre-kindergarten students sing “You've Got a Friend in Me” during a graduation ceremony at the Discovery Learning Center in Steamboat Springs la last week.

“They are tears of joy, that means a lot. I’m really grateful that I was able to recover so quickly so that I can be here to celebrate this special moment with all of my students,” Leggett said Thursday after the ceremony.

The 28-year-old preschool teacher was babysitting her Steamboat home when a juvenile suspect entered the home early on the morning of April 28.

According to an arrest affidavit, Leggett was trying to push the 16-year-old girl out of his home when he used a large Gerber knife to stab her in the abdomen.

After successfully calling police, Leggett was transported to UCHealth Yampa Valley Medical Center and flown to a hospital in Loveland where she was initially placed in a medially induced coma and underwent several surgeries before being released after 30 days.

The teenage suspect was arrested approximately 11 hours after the incident. Prosecutors now seek to try him as an adult. He remains in a juvenile detention center in Grand Junction and is scheduled to appear in court again on July 23.

Released from the hospital a week early, Leggett said Thursday that she was still regaining strength and was scheduled to undergo another surgery this fall.

She called her return to Steamboat “upsetting, but definitely overwhelming,” adding that she cherished the opportunity to visit her students and attend their graduation celebration.

“My students are everything to me and they have grown and blossomed so much this year and it is just amazing to be able to come back and see how much I have taught them and that they are still doing in class,” she said. added.

In addition to the cards and love sent by her students, Leggett said Thursday she is also grateful for the outpouring of support she has received from the broader Steamboat community in recent weeks.

Organized by the families of his students at the beginning of May, a Go Fund Me page created to support his recovery had received $40,735 in donations Sunday with a goal of reaching $50,000.

“I am so grateful and blessed for all the support from the community,” Leggett added before leaving for more hugs and photos with her students.

Standing alongside Leggett with a box of tissues at the pre-K graduation, Earl Leggett, Jr. recalled how he and his wife learned of their daughter's injuries when they received a call at their Tennessee home around 5 a.m. on April 28.

“It was difficult because when we first got the call, my wife received it and she thought it was a prank,” said Leggett, Jr. “We tried to reach his boyfriend and we finally found him because he was in the hospital, and we didn't have his phone number.

The father of three said he and his family quickly came up with a plan to make sure someone was with Leggett at the hospital during what they knew would be a long recovery.

“When they flew her to Loveland, my son and my wife left and my son was there for about two weeks, my wife was there for about three and I'm just finishing my second week here,” said Leggett, Jr.

At first, Leggett Jr. said it was difficult to get specific information from police about the stabbing incident and that he got most of his information from the media.

Looking ahead, he said he believes the court's decision on whether to charge the minor suspect as an adult could take a year or more; but what might happen in court later is less important than the other issues at hand.

After returning with Leggett to Steamboat following his release from the hospital two weeks ago, Leggett, Jr. said he was helping his daughter get back into a routine as she worked to regain her strength before what This he hopes will be his last surgery in the fall.

“I understand the surgeon wants to play it safe and say 'I hope I get one more,' and that's what we hope for,” he added.

To support Kylie Leggett in her recovery, visit: GoFundMe.com/f/support-kylies-road-to-recovery