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Caretaker Convicted in Patient's Fatal Seizure
20 Feb
Summary
- A caretaker was convicted for failing to renew a patient's seizure medication.
- The patient died in December 2021 after not receiving medication for over 10 days.
- Sentencing for the convicted caretaker is scheduled for May 21.
A jury found 50-year-old Kelly Gonzales guilty of felony charges including neglect of a care-dependent person and endangering the welfare of a care-dependent person. As an administrator at ARC, a personal care home in New Castle, Gonzales was responsible for resident care, including medication management.
Prosecutors stated Gonzales failed to ensure the victim received anti-seizure medication, knowing it had been depleted. Colleagues had advised her to seek emergency replenishment, but she did not.
The resident died on December 2, 2021, over 10 days after their critical medication supply was exhausted. Pennsylvania Attorney General Dave Sunday remarked on the catastrophic failure of duty and the preventable nature of the resident's death.
Gonzales' sentencing is scheduled for May 21.
