A nurse previously accused of harming three babies at a Virginia hospital’s neonatal intensive care unit now faces additional charges related to five infant patients.
On April 22, prosecutors served six new indictments in a case that accuses Erin Strotman, RN, of malicious wounding, abusing a child to cause serious injury and abusing a child with disregard for their life between 2022 and 2024. She now faces 12 charges.
During that time, Ms. Strotman worked at HCA Healthcare’s Henrico Doctors’ Hospital in Richmond, Va. She was initially arrested in January, a month after the hospital temporarily suspended admissions to its NICU due to “unexplainable fractures” on several babies.
One infant was harmed in 2022 and four were harmed in 2024, according to NBC affiliate WWBT. Four additional infants experienced harm in 2023, bringing the total to nine, but there are no current charges connected to those cases.
Henrico County Commonwealth’s Attorney Shannon Taylor told WWBT that “we are continuing to work on the families that were impacted in 2023.”
Hospital video footage from Nov. 10, 2024, appeared to show Ms. Strotman “applying pressure” to a 5-month-old boy’s legs and pushing them so his feet were by his head, according to a criminal complaint, which said the infant “looked to be crying and in distress.” He had multiple fractured ribs and a fractured right tibia and femur.
Ms. Strotman’s next court appearance is scheduled for May 28, according to several news outlets.
After refining its safety measures and reporting processes, Henrico Doctors’ Hospital reopened its NICU on Feb. 5.
A spokesperson for Nashville, Tenn.-based HCA Healthcare, which operates the hospital, declined to provide comment.
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