THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1997, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, February 22, 1997 TAG: 9702220308
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B4 EDITION: NORTH CAROLINA
SOURCE: ASSOCIATED PRESS
DATELINE: DINWIDDIE LENGTH: 32 lines
A judge has dismissed patient abuse and neglect charges against six former Central State Hospital employees.
Commonwealth's Attorney T.O. Rainey asked substitute General District Judge John W. Luxton to take the action Thursday. Rainey said he doubted the state could prove the allegations.
The former employees - Charlotte M. Kirkland, 39, Michelle L. Pegram, 22, Howard W. Knox, 49, John R. Winfield, 31, Emmett Terry Jr., 42, and Steven R. Watkins, 35 - worked in the state mental hospital's forensic program before they were dismissed Nov. 25 in the wake of a state police investigation.
The investigation stemmed from an Aug. 20 incident in which a male Central State patient was found with numerous bruises.
James C. Bumpass, director of Central State, said police were called after the hospital's internal investigation failed to determine how the bruising occurred or who was responsible.
``We have no information that identifies the source of the bruising,'' he said.
Bumpass said the employees were fired based on allegations of neglect for not reporting the bruises.
Most of the employees have filed grievances, which are still pending, he said.
John B. Mann, an attorney who represented three of the former workers, said evidence indicated the bruising could have been caused by another patient.