Former Hospital Worker Charged With Choking Teenage Patient
CHICAGO (CBS) -- A fired employee of Ingalls Memorial Hospital in south suburban Harvey has been charged with choking a 15-year-old patient.
Harvey police spokesman Sean Howard said 46-year-old Steven Pleasant has been charged with aggravated battery in the Jan. 25 incident at the hospital's behavioral unit, where Pleasant worked as a counselor.
When the 15-year-old patient asked for some orange juice, surveillance video shows Pleasant going off on the boy for no apparent reason.
"For whatever reason, the 46-year-old employee began to push the particular victim into a food cart, took him to the ground, put him in a chokehold for about 25 seconds," Howard said.
Other hospital workers intervened and pulled Pleasant off the boy.
The teen is a ward of the state, and had been admitted to the hospital for counseling. Howard said surveillance video suggests the boy did not provoke Pleasant in any physical way.
"What we looked for in the videotape is actions, physical actions, and the kid never raised his arm, didn't appear to provoke anything with the gentleman, and so therefore we just think it was one of those freaky things that this happened, and the guy appeared to have a bad day," Howard said.
Pleasant has since been fired. He was arrested Tuesday, and charges were filed Wednesday.
"This is a gentleman that should not be working around children. Although he doesn't have a particular background, but to have this type of reaction to a kid just seeking orange juice," he said.
