Nurse pleads guilty to neglecting disabled child
A registered nurse from Bolingbrook was sentenced to two years felony probation Tuesday after pleading guilty to neglecting a disabled 6-year-old girl left in her care.
Lovejoy DeMesa, 34, entered her plea in DuPage County Circuit Court. She was charged with criminal neglect of a person with a disability, a Class 3 felony.
A Glen Ellyn family hired DeMesa in March 2005 to care for their daughter, who suffers from cerebral palsy, scoliosis and other serious medical conditions. The parents installed a hidden camera in their daughter's room the following October when they became suspicious of the care she was receiving, according to the DuPage County state's attorney's office.
On video recorded by the camera, DeMesa was seen removing the girl's ventilator several times, once for nearly an hour. The girl was medically ordered to wear the ventilator at all times.
In addition to her probation, DeMesa was ordered not to contact the family, to submit to DNA indexing and to pay all fines and court costs.
In exchange for her guilty plea, prosecutors dropped 35 other charges, including abuse and neglect.
"What Lovejoy DeMesa did to this innocent young girl is beyond irresponsible," State's Attorney Joe Birkett said in statement. "DeMesa was charged with the care of this child and instead of doing everything she could for her, she chose to put this child's heath in jeopardy. Now a convicted felon, DeMesa will never again be in a position to harm someone who is in need of medical attention."
DeMesa was licensed as a registered nurse in 2001. The Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation reprimanded her in April for the charges.
Her attorney, Vincent Miceli, said DeMesa thought she was helping the girl by removing her ventilator tube.
"She thought in her mind that she was helping the child build a resistance up by taking off the tube and allowing the girl to breath on her own," Miceli said. "Unfortunately, that was contrary to what the medical personnel consulted by the state thought.
"She had no ill will or malice toward the girl," he said, adding that the video shows DeMesa never abused the girl or left the room while she was off the ventilator.