Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
More charges possible in nursing home deaths
Police say probe into Hollywood facility is not over
More people could be charged with crimes for the 12 patient deaths inside a sweltering Hollywood nursing home after Hurricane Irma, Hollywood police said Tuesday.
Four people have already been charged. Jorge Carballo, the home’s chief administrator; Sergo Colin, a supervising nurse; and two nurses who were on duty are all facing manslaughter charges. Three of the four surrendered Monday at the
Broward Main Jail. The fourth is in custody in Miami-Dade County.
At a news conference Tuesday, Hollywood Police Chief Chris O’Brien said the investigation that led to the arrests was “one of the most extensive in our history,” and he indicated it was not over. “Additional arrests are anticipated,” he said, offering no timetable.
Carballo, Colin and nurse Althia Meggie spent Monday night in jail and appeared before Broward County Judge Jackie Powell on Tuesday morning. Carballo, whose bond was set at $90,000, was no longer listed as an inmate at the jail Tuesday night. Colin, who also had a $90,000 bond, remains in custody. Meggie’s bond was $17,000. She is not in custody, according to the Sheriff ’s Office website.
Nurse Tamika Miller, 31, who does not have a lawyer, has been jailed in Miami-Dade County since Saturday evening, records show. It would likely take an extra day to get her transferred to Broward County, attorneys said.
Carballo and Colin are facing the most serious charges — 12 counts each of aggravated manslaughter. Each count carries a maximum prison sentence of 30 years.
Miller faces six counts of aggravated manslaughter and three counts of tampering with or fabricating evidence, a third-degree felony carrying a maximum prison term of five years. Meggie faces two manslaughter charges and two tampering charges.
Investigators looked over thousands
of documents and records to determine whether the tragedy was a crime.
The tampering charges were a significant factor in determining that the official activity crossed the line into criminal conduct, said Major Steven Bolger. Video evidence also played a role, he
said. “The actions and inactions” of the defendants “led to the deaths of these patients,” he said.
Family members of the victims were at Tuesday’s news conference but did not make statements. “They’ve been looking forward to this day for quite some time,” said O’Brien.
The Rehabilitation Center at Hollywood Hills weathered Hurricane Irma itself, but a power outage knocked out the air conditioning system, leaving residents to suffer in sweltering heat for days afterward.
The youngest to die was 57. The oldest, 99. Half the victims were in their 90s.
More than a dozen negligence lawsuits were filed against the center in the aftermath of the deaths.
The center was shut down a week after the storm.
Defense lawyers said this week that the criminal charges were an overreach by a police department that wants someone to pay for the tragic deaths at the home. Staff members worked to cool down patients with fans and portable coolers and called 911 for individual emergencies as the crisis worsened, the attorneys said.
Police said they were confident prosecutors would be able to prove a manslaughter case in court.
“I can tell you that they didn’t do enough,” O’Brien said, defending the decision to pursue the criminal case. These individuals took an oath to provide care and safety” for their patients. “They betrayed that oath.”