Midland Police have charged a 50-year-old nurse at the Georgian Bay General Hospital with manslaughter and criminal negligence causing death.
Police allege the nurse, Joanna Flynn, took a 39-year-old Midland mother off life support without authorization on March 2, 2014.
Midland Police say they began an investigation on March 6th, 2014. The investigation ended on Thursday with the arrest of the Wyevale woman.
Police determined that life support for the patient was terminated without authorization.
Midland Police Inspector Ron Wheeldon says Flynn turned herself into police on Thursday afternoon.
CTV Barrie has learned the victim was Deanna Leblanc, a mother of two who worked at a downtown Midland store. Her husband, Michael Leblanc, says she originally went into another hospital for a routine knee scope and returned home but within 36 hours suffered some sort of complication. She was then taken to the Georgian Bay General Hospital in Midland where she was put on life support. Michael says the suspect was a nurse who had just come on shift when she allegedly took his wife off life support without permission.
Georgian Bay Hospital President & CEO Karen McGrath confirmed with CTV Barrie that Flynn worked at the hospital at the time but was fired days after the incident took place.
“When anybody dies in a hospital there is a routine quality of care review done and so the red flag went off as we did the routine quality of care review,” says McGrath.
Flynn made a court appearance in Barrie and was released on $50,000 bail. She has a long list of conditions, including not being able to work in the health field.
Flynn will be back in court on May 28th.
