Florida man accused of blinding nurse in brutal hospital beating faces hate crime enhancement charge
The Brief
A Florida man accused in the savage beating of a nurse faces a hate crime enhancement to second-degree attempted murder charges.
Stephen Scantlebury was a Baker Act patient at a Palm Beach hospital when the beating took place.
A probable cause affidavit stated that essentially every bone in the nurse's face was broken during the beating, and she would likely be blind.
PALM BEACH, Fla. - A patient who investigators say broke essentially every bone in a nurse's face, likely leaving her blind, now faces a hate crime enhancement charge in addition to an attempted second-degree murder charge.
The backstory
According to a probable cause affidavit, the nurse was caring for 33-year-old Stephen Scantlebury, a patient who was at Palms West Hospital under a Baker Act, when he attacked her.
The document shows that a witness said Scantlebury jumped on top of his bed and then on top of the nurse.
That witness ran out of the room to get help and when they went back to the room with someone else, the affidavit states that Scantlebury was seen punching the nurse in the face repeatedly while she was on the floor.
Video: Florida Wingstop manager throws hot grease, ranch dressing at customers during argument
Documents show that when one of the witnesses yelled at Scantlebury, he stopped hitting the nurse and ran out of the room, through the hallway, down a stairwell, across the parking lot and into traffic, where he was taken into custody by responding deputies.
The nurse was taken to another hospital by trauma helicopter in critical condition.
Medical staff stated that essentially every bone in the victim's face was broken, and she would likely lose the use of both eyes.
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Scantlebury was arrested and underwent a medical clearance. A third witness said Scantlebury had been acting paranoid for the last two days, blaming people in his life for events they had nothing to do with, according to the affidavit.
What we know
Hate crime enhancements, if proven, can result in harsher penalties upon conviction. They highlight the motive behind the defendant's actions and their broader impact on the community.
What we don't know
Investigators have not said why Scantlebury is facing the hate crime enhancement charge.
The Source
This story was written with information from the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office, a probable cause affidavit and previous FOX 13 News reports.
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