May 24, 2013
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) -- A licensed practical nurse at the Florida State Hospital is facing charges of abusing a disabled patient.
Attorney General Pam Bondi said Friday that 45-year-old Melody Melton of Blountstown was arrested on a third-degree felony warrant for slapping a female patient and pulling her hair while trying to administer medications. Melton faces up to five years in prison and a $5,000 fine if convicted.
It's the latest incident that has hit the Panhandle mental hospital where two people were fired last month and another resigned after a patient gave birth to a baby that was required to be on life support. State mental health administrators later said the facility was poorly equipped to care for a pregnant woman and ignored her pleas for help when she went into labor.
