Nurse charged with manslaughter in death of disabled child

Prosecutors in Scott County say they have filed criminal charges against a nurse after the death of a disabled child he was caring for.

David Weatherhead is facing three counts of manslaughter for the death. Prosecutors say Weatherhead was the sole home healthcare nurse for the child before the child's unexpected death.

During a 12-hour shift, prosecutors say the child's ventilator alarm sounded 93 times but was manually reset each time by Weatherhead.

The child had been dead for an estimated three hours before the night nurse showed up at 6 p.m. that day. Weatherhead had not contacted anyone prior to the night nurse's arrival, prosecutors say.

Scott CountyCrime and Public Safety