This is just awful, and so so sad.
A psych facility boss in Staten Island has been charged with negligent homicide for strangling an autistic patient to death, or officially: “wrongful restraint that resulted in the patient’s death.”
Erik Stanley, 37, allegedly applied excessive pressure to the neck and torso of Jawara Henry, 27, during a Dec. 4 incident inside the Multiple Disabilities Unit on the grounds of the South Beach Psychiatric Center on Sea View Avenue.
Stanley did not follow protocol or use proper techniques while trying to subdue an enraged Henry, who had bitten several staff members and other patients during an aggressive outburst, an eight-month investigation by DA Daniel Donovan’s office uncovered.
Stanley placed Henry in a “chokehold” and forced him onto his stomach, a source said. He then got on top of the struggling patient as he was lying face-down, the source added.
We do not care how bad or personally frustrating the outburst was. You are a trained professional, trained to deal with situations like these in the proper manner. This man did not deserve to die.
Stanley has plead not guilty. Not only that, but the scary thing is that he’s been employed there since 2003 — who knows what other procedures he skipped??
So, so tragic.
Our hearts go out to the family extremely hurt by this.
[Image via AP Images.]