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U.S. NEWS Saturday 9 November 2019

Oklahoma woman imprisoned in failure-to-protect case is free

abusing the children and safe and sane during this Union in 2017 filed a lawsuit
was released on probation season of my life," Tondalao challenging what it said
with the credit for the two Hall said earlier in a state- was a disproportionate
years he already spent in ment. "Secondly, for all the sentence because Braxton
jail. people God has placed in was also abusing Hall.
While living with Braxton, my life, my children and my Hall's release comes days
Hall's young children suf- family for sticking by me. after more than 450 state
fered broken bones, but no Time and space cannot inmates convicted of drug
evidence ever indicated accommodate the list of and property crimes were
Hall committed any vio- people who have loved, released Monday.
lence or harmed her chil- helped, and supported me That group was the larg-
dren, ACLU officials said. through all of this, so, to ev- est single-day mass com-
"First and foremost, I want eryone who has, thank you mutation in U.S. history.
to thank God for making and God bless you!" Hall's commutation came
a way and for keeping me The American Civil Liberties separately.q

Bacteria that killed 3 infants traced to

Tondalao Hall, left, celebrates with family members after being hospital equipment
released from Mabel Bassett Correctional Center in McLoud,
Okla., Friday, Nov. 8, 2019.
Associated Press By MICHAEL RUBINKAM vice president and chief The parents of one of
By KEN MILLER and SUE en's rights advocates and Associated Press medical officer, said in a the newborns who died
OGROCKI brought further attention to A Pennsylvania hospital statement. at Geisinger filed suit last
Associated Press Oklahoma's high rate of in- said Friday it has discov- Pseudomonas bacteria are month, alleging that hos-
McLOUD, Okla. (AP) — An carceration, particularly of ered the source of a water- common and often harm- pital officials failed to pro-
Oklahoma woman whose women. borne germ that sickened less but can pose a health tect their son from the le-
sentence for failing to re- Hall's father, Wazell Hall, 74, at least eight premature risk in fragile patients. thal bacterial infection that
port her boyfriend's abuse said he feared many family infants, killing three. Geisinger, which operates had already killed two oth-
of her children was far members would never see Geisinger Medical Center one of Pennsylvania's larg- er premature babies.
harsher than his for the Hall again as a free wom- in Danville said the process est health networks, has Their attorney, Matt Casey
abuse itself wiped away an. it was using to prepare do- been sending very prema- — who also represents the
tears and hugged fam- "I was afraid that most nor breast milk led to the ture newborns and some family of the second baby
ily and friends Friday as of my family, her family, deadly outbreak in the hos- expectant mothers to oth- who died in the bacterial
she was released after 15 would be gone before she pital's neonatal intensive er facilities while it investi- outbreak — said his investi-
years. got out," Wazell Hall said. care unit. gated the outbreak. The gation has revealed earlier
Tondalao Hall, 35, left a The Oklahoma Depart- Infection control special- hospital said it will continue Pseudomonas infections in
women's prison in McLoud, ment of Corrections said ists used DNA testing to doing so as it consults with the Geisinger NICU, and at
Oklahoma, after serving Thursday that Gov. Kevin trace the Pseudomonas state health officials on least one baby died. But he
about 13 more years be- Stitt signed the order to bacterium to equipment when it can resume normal said he does not yet know
hind bars than her boy- commute her sentence. used to measure and ad- operations. whether those earlier infec-
friend, who pleaded guilty Her release came about minister donor breast milk. "We would like to extend tions were the result of a
in 2006 but was released a month after the state Geisinger said it has since our sincere apologies to problem with the hospital's
on probation with credit for Pardon and Parole Board switched to using single- the families who have been breast milk equipment.
time served. voted unanimously to rec- use equipment. Hospital of- affected by this incident. "A key aspect is to deter-
"Blessed to be with my ommend that Stitt com- ficials stressed the milk itself We know that the public mine whether this was an
familay, I just want to be mute her sentence to time was not the source of the holds us to the highest stan- ongoing problem there.
with my family," Hall said as served. exposure. dards, and we will continue We now have additional
she walked away from the Hall was sentenced to 30 "We have had no new to strive to live up to those work to determine wheth-
Mabel Bassett Correction- years in prison in 2006 after cases of infants becoming expectations as we have er these infection control
al Center on the eastern pleading guilty to failing to ill from pseudomonas in throughout our history, con- procedures were deficient
edge of Oklahoma City. protect two of her children. the NICU since making this stantly improving on what for a period of time longer
The disparity of the sen- The boyfriend, Robert Brax- change," Dr. Edward Har- we do and how we do it," than Geisinger's statement
tences outraged wom- ton Jr., pleaded guilty to tle, Geisinger's executive Hartle said. suggests," he said.q