Judge dismisses suit stemming from Aurora hospital stabbing
An elderly woman who was stabbed by a mentally ill man at the then Provena Mercy Medical Center in Aurora more than three years ago will not be receiving any monetary damages from the hospital.
Kane County Judge James Murphy recently dismissed a lawsuit filed on behalf of Naomi Leeth Johnson after her granddaughter, who was acting as their attorney, failed to appear in court, records show.
Tamika Maddox was a no show, prompting Murphy to dismiss the lawsuit, which argued the hospital was negligent and did not do enough to ensure Johnson's safety.
Maddox was appointed administrator of her grandmother's estate after Johnson was diagnosed with dementia and Alzheimer's disease. The original attorney in the case withdrew last summer because of health problems and a second attorney never showed up for a court hearing.
Johnson, then 78, was stabbed with a butter knife Aug. 31, 2010, by Darrell Franklin, who was charged with attempted murder. Franklin, now 42 and formerly of the 600 block of South River Street, Aurora, was found not guilty by reason of insanity in October 2012.
He will be treated in a secure mental health facility until March 2036 when he is 65.
Three not the charm: Three drug-related arrests in four months were not the charm for a 20-year-old St. Charles man.
Logan D. Bruce, of the 1700 block of Cumberland Green, was charged with misdemeanor possession of drug paraphernalia after a June 7 arrest in South Elgin, according to Kane County court records.
Bruce paid a $850 fine and received probation, but was picked up again by Geneva police July 1 on the same charge, records show.
And a Sept. 23 encounter with St. Charles police in which authorities said they found 503 grams — more than a pound — of marijuana in Bruce's backpack means he will have a felony record going forward.
St. Charles Police Cmdr. Jerry Gatlin said an officer made contact with Bruce at about 2:50 p.m. in the 1100 block of South 7th Avenue and could smell the marijuana on him.
“The odor was just strong on him. It led to some pretty simple questioning,” Gatlin said. “He acknowledged he had a quantity in his backpack. He had a couple jars on him. But they weren't sealed well and the odor was getting out.”
Bruce spent 24 days in the Kane County jail before pleading guilty to a felony. He received 30 months of probation and was fined $5,065, records show. If Bruce violates probation, he could be resentenced to up to seven years in prison,
Kane County Judge Susan Clancy Boles accepted the plea.