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Yahoo
25-02-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Palms West beating: Judge denies bail, house arrest for patient arrested in attack on nurse
(This story was updated because because an earlier version included an inaccuracy.) WEST PALM BEACH — A judge has ordered that the man accused of beating a nurse at HCA Florida Palms West Hospital and fracturing 'essentially every bone' in her face remain in jail without bail. Stephen Scantlebury, 33, from Wellington, is facing a charge of attempted second-degree murder in the Feb. 18 attack on Leelamma Lal, a 67-year old nurse from Royal Palm Beach who remains in critical condition at St. Mary's Medical Center in West Palm Beach and may lose her eyesight. The Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office also enhanced the charge to a hate crime saying Scantlebury had "made utterances" about the victim's gender, race or religion but did not specify which one. Lal is of Indian descent. From the courts: Boca businessman who stole $1.45 million from 'friend' asks judge to spare him from prison Scantlebury pleaded not guilty during a hearing Tuesday at the county jail, his first court appearance since the attack. His wife and children were also present in the courtroom, said Scott Simmons, his attorney with the Rossen Law Firm. Circuit Judge Donald Hafele declined Simmons' request that Scantlebury be released on $125,000 bond, placed on house arrest and taken to a treatment facility. The law firm issued a statement last week describing him as "a hardworking, loving husband, father and son" who is dealing with a form of mental illness it did not disclose. It cautioned that the public "has only heard one side of the story — the side presented by law enforcement" and said "the complete story" will come out in time. After Hafele ordered Scantlebury remain in custody, Dr. Cindy Joseph, Lal's daughter and a neurologist with a practice in Melbourne, told the judge the family wouldn't feel safe if Scantlebury was allowed to go home and that he was a safety risk for the community. Flanked by a dozen family members and a group of nurses, Joseph added her mother was intubated and still "fighting for her life." "If he is released and disappears, justice for my mom will not be served,' Joseph said. 'Because of his actions, our lives will never be the same. We live in fear, constantly looking over our shoulders knowing that someone who's capable of such violence could walk free.' Hafele on Tuesday directed the court to schedule a pretrial detention hearing for Scantlebury, where the issue of his bail and release could arise again. An initial case conference before Circuit Judge Caroline Shepherd is scheduled for April 10, online records show. Boynton Beach homicide: PBSO says man accused of killing neighbor acted 'extremely weird' before attack According to a sheriff's report, Lal was caring for Scantlebury, who had been evaluated at the hospital for mental-health issues under the state's Baker Act. Upon entering his room, Scantlebury jumped on top of Lal and hit her repeatedly with fists fracturing before fleeing the hospital. Deputies arrested the 33-year-old Wellington resident as he ran along Southern Boulevard. The beating has alarmed nurses and health care workers across Palm Beach County, many of whom rallied Sunday outside Palms West and at the Jerome Golden Center in West Palm Beach. A 2018 federal Bureau of Labor Statistics study found health care workers suffered nearly 75% of all cases of workforce violence. A GoFundMe page launched by a friend of Lal's family to raise money for her care had raised nearly $135,000 as of Tuesday afternoon. Sign up for our Post on Wellington weekly newsletter, delivered every Thursday! 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@ 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: Palms West beating: Judge denies bail for patient in attack on nurse
Yahoo
21-02-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
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. From the courts: Palm Beach yacht captain accused of rape pleads to lesser charge, avoids prison 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. Sign up for our Post on Wellington weekly newsletter, delivered every Thursday! 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@ 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
