Palms West patient who beat nurse to get 'independent' review of mental health, lawyers say
ROYAL PALM BEACH — A law firm representing the HCA Florida Palms West Hospital patient accused of attacking a nurse this week issued a statement Friday calling the incident "an unimaginable time for the victim and her family" and said an "independent" doctor will evaluate the Wellington man's mental health.
The statement, issued by the Rossen Law Firm, called Stephen Scantlebury "a hardworking, loving husband, father and son" who is dealing with a form of mental illness it did not disclose.
It said he went to the hospital seeking help after "displaying unusual behavior in the days leading up to this event" and asked anyone who believes they saw him experiencing a mental-health episode to contact them.
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Scantlebury is facing a charge of attempted second-degree murder in the beating, which broke "essentially every bone" in the nurse's face and likely will leave her blind, the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office said. Investigators added a hate-crime enhancement to Scantlebury's charges, saying he had "made utterances" about the victim's gender, race or religion before Tuesday's attack. They did not specify which one.
The law firm said it was working with prosecutors and law enforcement "to investigate what happened and what led to it." It said it would make no further comment on the case.
"Right now, the public has only heard one side of the story -- the side presented by law enforcement," the statement said. "However, one-sided narratives can be misleading, especially when mental illness is involved. Our role is to ensure that the complete story comes to light."
Medics flew the nurse, whom neither the hospital nor the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office has identified, to St. Mary's Medical Center on a Trauma Hawk helicopter after the attack. She remained in critical condition this week.
A spokesperson for HCA Florida Palms West, which serves Palm Beach County's western communities from its campus on Southern Boulevard near Royal Palm Beach, said the attack on the nurse "happened within a matter of seconds" and was witnessed by multiple people who came to assist.
"Our primary concern is with our beloved colleague and we are praying for her recovery," wrote the hospital in a prepared statement. "We are also providing support to our hospital staff who are understandably shaken by this incident. We are grateful to the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office who acted to detain the suspect and we are assisting law enforcement in their investigation."
The attack happened at about 1:20 p.m. Tuesday. According to the police report, the nurse was taking care of Scantlebury in his room on the third floor when he 'inexplicably' jumped on top of his bed and then onto the nurse to attack her, prompting another nurse to look for help.
Witnesses found the nurse lying on the floor and Scantlebury standing over her, hitting her repeatedly in the face with his fists.
After the attack, Scantlebury fled the hospital dressed only in shorts and ran along Southern with deputies and nurses chasing behind him prior to his arrest.
Witnesses told deputies he had been acting paranoid in the two days before the attack. He has no record of prior felony arrests in Palm Beach County, according to online court records.
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Valentina Palm covers Royal Palm Beach, Wellington, Greenacres, Palm Springs and other western communities in Palm Beach County for The Palm Beach Post. Email her at vpalm@pbpost.com and follow her on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, at @ValenPalmB. Support local journalism: Subscribe today.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Law firm: Palms West patient who beat nurse to get 'independent' exam
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