COLONIAL HEIGHTS, Va. — Chesterfield Judge James O’Connell called the allegations laid out by the prosecutor against Colonial Heights Rehabilitation and Nursing Center Administrator Shawanda Jeter and Nurse Trainer Danielle Harris “gut-wrenching, aggravating, and horrendous” in court on Thursday.
They were among the 18 staff members arrested Wednesday when dozens of police officers and state officials showed up at the nursing home.
In making her argument against bond for both defendants, Colonial Heights prosecutor Noelle Nochisaki told the judge the victim in this case was a 74-year-old woman with cerebral palsy and diabetes. She said the woman was supposed to be removed by a lift out of her bed, but that was never done and records were falsified to show that she had been.
The prosecutor said the woman was left in her bed for days in her own urine and feces, she was not turned, she was not changed, and her wounds from the poor care were so bad that Adult Protective Services originally thought she may have been the victim of a sexual assault.
That was not the case, though the flesh wounds to the patient’s genital region were so bad, they were described as necrotic.
CBS 6 investigative reporter Melissa Hipolit personally viewed the pictures of the wounds that were shown to the judge and can report a bed sore on the victim’s back was covered in tissue that appeared black in color, and the woman’s genital area was covered in dark purple splotches that resembled bruising.
Nochisaki said the wounds were so severe that investigators said they caused the sepsis which ultimately killed the patient.
She also said the victim's foot was broken at some point, and she was given incorrect medicine that “poisoned” her, and instead of reporting the incident and having her transported to the hospital, staff just observed her.
Shawanda Jeter, who runs the facility, is facing some of the most serious charges in this case.
In addition to abuse and neglect charges, prosecutors said she hired nursing staff with barrier crimes on their record to include malicious wounding and domestic assault.
When detectives executed a search warrant at the facility on November 4, Nochisaki said Jeter tried to prevent them from executing the search warrant, lied to them that she didn’t know how to get into the system, and attempted to destroy evidence.
As for Danielle Harris, the prosecutor said the registered nurse oversaw training at the facility, but she said Harris failed to provide adequate training to staff, which led to the victim’s injuries.
She said Harris was not ensuring mandatory training was being done, and instead had staff sign off that it was done.
Judge O’Connell ended up granting each woman a $10,000 bond, but on the condition that they cannot provide any medical care to the public or return to the facility, pending the conclusion of the case.
Hipolit tried to ask Jeter’s family if they had anything they wanted to say on her behalf, and they said “no comment."
The next court date for Jeter and Harris is March 26.
A third defendant, Shakina Brewer, is also charged with a felony in this case and is set to be arraigned on Friday.
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