A “rogue nurse” in North Carolina has been arrested on homicide prices after two sufferers died after he allegedly administered deadly doses of insulin, state officers introduced Tuesday.
Johnathan Hayes, 47, labored as a nurse at Atrium Well being Wake Forest Baptist Medical Heart and allegedly administered the doses in late 2021 into early 2022, Forsyth County District Lawyer Jim O’Neill stated in a press convention Tuesday.
The prosecutor stated that Hayes was arrested earlier within the day on arrest warrants charging him with two counts of homicide and one rely of tried homicide.
Hayes allegedly administered a deadly dose of insulin to affected person Gwen Crawford on Jan. 5, 2022. She died three days afterward Jan. 8, in accordance with O’Neill.
The second deadly affected person was Vickie Lingerfelt, who was allegedly administered a deadly dose of insulin on Jan. 22, 2022. She handed away on Jan. 27.
Hayes was additional charged with administrating a near-fatal dose of insulin to a 3rd affected person on Dec. 1, 2021, however she survived the dose, in accordance with the district legal professional.
Denise Potter, the vice chairman of communications at Atrium Well being Wake Forest Baptist pressured Hayes’ actions just isn’t in accordance with the hospital’s requirements.
“As quickly as we recognized a deviation in affected person care … we took fast motion to take away the worker from the affected person care setting and terminated his employment,” she stated.
Hayes labored for Atrium Well being Wake Forest Baptist at numerous occasions over the past 15 years as a registered nurse and was terminated March 18, 2022, a spokesperson for the hospital stated.
O’Neill stated the hospital carried out its personal inner investigation and contacted the Winston-Salem Police Division and state officers in March to look into the problem.
The investigation led by the Winston-Salem Police Division stretched for months together with interviews, proof assortment and discussions with members of the family of the victims.
O’Neill defined “the totality of the knowledge” within the investigation led him to conclude there was possible trigger to help charging Hayes with homicide.
The district legal professional described him as a “rogue nurse,” stated there was no proof Hayes knew the sufferers earlier than the incidents, and he acted alone.
No particulars on a possible motive had been launched and an investigation is ongoing.
“Johnathan Hayes has forfeited the glory of being referred to as a nurse. From today forth, he’ll be referred to as a defendant,” O’Neill stated in a harsh rebuke.
In a press release the hospital stated along with contacting authorities it “notified the suitable regulators and licensing boards and have been working with them all through their investigations.”
“What’s alleged to have taken place actually doesn’t symbolize the excessive requirements of security and integrity that we all the time count on from each one among our devoted teammates,” the assertion stated. “We’ve carried out an in-depth evaluation to make sure we’ve got executed the whole lot potential so an occasion like this will by no means occur once more.”
He was booked into Forsyth County jail on no bond Tuesday, reserving data present.
It is not instantly clear if he has retained a lawyer.
