CERTIFIED NURSE'S ASSISTANT PLEADS GUILTY TO NEGLECT/OBSTRUCTING JUSTICE IN NURSING HOME DEATH

Sentenced to six months DuPage County Jail – 30 months probation

WHEATON - DuPage County State’s Attorney Joe Birkett announced today that Judge Peter Dockery has sentenced 24 year-old Certified Nurse’s Assistant Heidi Leon (d.o.b. 3/21/1985) of Bensenville to 180 days in the DuPage County Jail for her role in an incident that led to the death of an Itasca nursing home resident.  Leon entered a plea of guilty to one count of Criminal Neglect of a Long-Term Care Facility Resident and one count of Obstruction of Justice this afternoon. 

            Today’s sentence stems from allegations that on February 5, 2009, at approximately 2 a.m. 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.  Upon hearing the alarm however, Leon turned off the alarm and continued watching television.  Several hours later, Mrs. Wentworth was found outside the facility and brought inside. Later that morning Mrs. Wentworth passed away from exposure to extreme cold for an extended period of time.  In addition, Leon furnished false information to the Itasca Police Department in an attempt to derail their investigation.

              “Heidi Leon’s failure to perform her duties cost Sarah Wentworth her life,” commented Birkett.  “Ms. Leon’s sole responsibility that night was to ensure that the residents at the facility were comfortable and cared for, not dying out in the cold.  Our thoughts and prayers continue to go out to Sarah’s family.”

            Leon has been in custody at the DuPage County Jail since her arrest.  She will be released from custody today having served 181 days in jail satisfying her 180-day jail sentence.  Leon was also ordered to serve 30 months probation.