A Former Nurse in the Texarkana, Texas Jail Pleads Guilty to a Prisoner’s Death
On Monday, November 27, 2017, a former nurse at a jail in Texarkana, Texas, pled guilty to misdemeanor negligent homicide in the custodial death of 20-year-old Morgan Angerbauer, who was a prisoner at the Texarkana jail. According to court records, Angerbauer asked the nurse to check her blood sugar, but the nurse allegedly refused. She allegedly said that members of the jail staff were the ones to decide when medical attention was needed. Early the following morning, Angerbauer was discovered unconscious in her cell.
A police affidavit says the nurse said that she was fully aware that Angerbauer’s diabetic situation was severe. Still, she refused to provide treatment and told her that wasn’t how things work. She allegedly said that Angerbauer missed her medical call and would have to wait for the next one.
According to one jail staff member, after Angerbauer was discovered unconscious, the nurse was told to immediately call for emergency services but refused to for more than 30 minutes. When paramedics finally arrived, Angerbauer was dead. The prisoner’s mother claims that she had been lying on the floor of the cell in her own vomit without a blanket and was refused treatment, resulting in her death.
An autopsy was done, and it showed that diabetic ketoacidosis was the cause of death. Diabetic ketoacidosis is a condition that occurs when blood sugar reaches severely high levels.
The nurse had said that she was willing to plead no contest to negligent homicide. The judge in the case refused to accept any plea other than guilty.
It is expected that the former nurse will serve approximately three months in jail. According to Texas Nursing Board records, the woman’s nursing license has been suspended.
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