CERTIFIED NURSE'S ASSISTANT INDICTED ON NEGLECT CHARGES IN NURSING HOME DEATH

WHEATON - DuPage County State’s Attorney Joe Birkett announced today that a DuPage County Grand Jury has returned a five-count indictment alleging criminal neglect against a woman for her actions that resulted in the death of an Itasca nursing home resident.  Named in the indictment is Certified Nurse’s Assistant Heidi Leon, 23 (d.o.b. 3/21/1985) of Irving Park Road in Bensenville.

            It is alleged that in the early morning hours of February 5, 2009, eighty-nine year-old resident Sarah Wentworth, who had lived at the nursing home for approximately three years, triggered an outside door alarm as she exited the nursing home.  According to the indictment however, “Leon failed to perform well-being check of the residents, including Sarah Wentworth, after an outside door alarm… had been triggered, where she knew the location of the alarm, and knew or reasonably should have known that a well-being check was necessary to maintain or preserve the life or health of residents including Sarah Wentworth.”  Later that morning Mrs. Wentworth passed away.  An investigation into the matter revealed that Mrs. Wentworth passed away from exposure to extreme cold for an extended period of time.  The indictment also alleges that during the course of the investigation, Leon furnished false information to the Itasca Police Department in an attempt to derail their investigation.

              “The death of Sarah Wentworth was not an accident,” commented Birkett.  “Sarah Wentworth’s family loved her so much that they did what they could to make sure she received the care she needed from professionals.  If these allegations are proven true however, Heidi Leon failed to provide that care and in doing so took a beloved matriarch from her family.  I would like to thank authorities at the Arbor Nursing Home for their assistance as well as the Itasca Police Department for their work on this case.   I would also like to thank Assistant State’s Attorneys Joe Ruggiero, Robert Berlin and Jae Kwon for their efforts in bringing justice in the memory of Sarah Wentworth.”

            In all, Leon faces two counts of Criminal Neglect of a Long Term Care Facility Resident – a Class 3 Felony, two counts of Criminal Neglect of an Elderly Person – a Class 2 Felony and one count of Obstructing Justice, a Class 4 Felony.  In addition to criminal penalties, if convicted, Leon faces mandatory revocation of her nursing license. 

            “I have called upon Governor Quinn and Charles Johnson, Director of the Illinois Department on Aging to create an Elderly Abuse Fatality Review Team for DuPage County to identify and review suspicious deaths of persons over the age of sixty years old.  There are many issues and challenges facing us.  But no issue is more important than ensuring that our most vulnerable citizens, children and seniors, are protected from harm by those who are entrusted with their care,” Birkett added.

            Members of the public are reminded that these complaints contain only charges and are not proof of the defendant’s guilt.  A defendant is presumed innocent and is entitled to a fair trial in which it is the government’s burden to prove his or her guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

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