Photo: CBS 12
A man accused of visciously beating a nurse now faces a hate crime in addition to attempted murder.
33-year old Stephen Scantlebury was a Baker Act-patient at Palms West Hospital in Loxahatchee Tuesday when he allegedly broke nearly every bone in the victim's face and doctors say there is a high likelihood that she will lose the use of both eyes.
But why was Scantlebury at a hospital that is not a Baker Act-receiving facility?
"If he did not need medical attention and for some reason these deputies took him to that facility, knowing that this was not a designated facility, that would be the first time I have ever heard of that. But I guess it's a possibility."
Baker Act attorney Mark Astor tells CBS 12 News that there is a shortage of hospital beds for the mentally ill but that Scantlebury still should not have been brought to Palms West.