Virginia nurse prosecuted over newborns’ injuries

Henrico Police have arrested and charged 26-year-old Erin Elizabeth Ann Strotman with injuring newborn babies in a local neonatal intensive care unit. Henrico Doctors’ Hospital said last week that police had arrested one of its former employees. It added that hospital staff were assisting law enforcement officials with their investigation.

Strotman is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Her attorney this week told ABC News that his client had not entered a plea and he did not comment on the charges. He did not immediately respond to a Wednesday request from WORLD seeking comment.

What happened? Strotman faces malicious wounding and felony child abuse charges in connection with an incident police said took place in November. The investigation centers on fractures that babies in its neonatal intensive care unit sustained, Henrico Doctors’ Hospital said. The hospital said it had also shut down its neonatal intensive care unit. Police clarified on Tuesday that the babies were not targeted based on their race, saying that some members of the community spread rumors to that effect.

Dig deeper: Read my report in The Sift about a gay couple sentenced to 100 years in prison each for sexually abusing their adopted sons.