Earlier this year, a Virginia woman was charged with child abuse after being connected to jarring injuries a newborn suffered in a neonatal intensive care unit in a hospital where she worked as a nurse. Now, she has been released on bond.
Erin Elizabeth Ann Strotman, 26, of Chesterfield County, was charged with malicious wounding and felony child abuse, as stated in court records and by the Henrico County Police Division. On Wednesday, she was granted a $25,000 secured bond.
According to ABC 7 Eyewitness News, the judge believed Strotman did not appear to pose a flight risk or a threat to herself after she underwent a mental health evaluation. The outcome of the evaluation was sealed after it was presented in court.
While on bond, Strotman must wear a GPS monitor while under house arrest at her parents’ home. She is prohibited from being around children and cannot provide health care services to anyone of any kind. Strotman’s parents must also remove all guns from their home.
Strotman was arrested last month after police investigated three different babies that suffered “unexplained fractures” in the newborn care unit of Henrico Doctors’ Hospital in Richmond November and December.
In a statement, the hospital described Ms. Strotman as a former employee that received her nursing license in May 2019, and her certification remains active.
Though Strotman has been connected to only a single incident, The Washington Post reported that officers reviewed hundreds of hours of surveillance footage from the hospital to see what happened to at least seven babies between 2023 and 2024.
If found guilty, Strotman faces a maximum of a decade in prison for the felony child neglect charge and 20 years for the malicious wounding charge.
A preliminary court hearing for Strotman is set for May.