A man was denied bond after brutally attacking a nurse in a Palm Beach County hospital.
33-year-old Stephen Scantlebury appeared in court Thursday. He is accused of beating 67-year-old Leela Lal, a nurse at HCA Palms West, nearly to death, fracturing nearly every bone in her face, and placing her at risk of losing both her eyes.
Scantlebury's wife told the court yesterday afternoon he had no history of aggression but was acting extremely paranoid before the attack.
She says he walked into the hospital, complaining of chest pains before being Baker Acted.
She also claimed the hospital assured her they could handle him.
"They knew how to handle the situation," she said. "And they also assured us that they could physically or medically, with medication, restrain him."
The defense argued Scantlebury suffers from a potential form of acute psychosis, adding he should be admitted to a facility that specializes in psychiatric treatment.
The state, however, maintained Scantlebury is a danger to the public.
The judge agreed, denying him any pre-trial release and ordering him to be held in the Palm Beach County jail without bond.
"This was the first time I saw him looking in the face, his actual face," said Cindy Joseph, Lal's daughter. "I mean, it's hard. I can't get the image of him on top of my mom just repeatedly beating her. It's a very small, sweet fatigue that I just can't imagine."
According to Joseph, her mother is still in critical condition; however, she is talking.
"She's confused, really confused," she said. "This morning, actually, I was talking to her, and she was worried about her job. She's like, 'Make sure you call them, tell them I'm in the hospital so they don't fire me, you know?' Which was telling her, 'That's the least of your concerns; don't worry about that'."
Nurse advocates have started a petition demanding stronger safety measures for health care workers.
They plan on sending the petition, having already over 10,000 signatures, to state lawmakers.
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