Baton Rouge children's hospital to reevaluate security after woman tried to kidnap baby
A week after law enforcement caught a woman planning to kidnap an infant from Our Lady of the Lake Children's Hospital, the hospital announced Thursday that it will be reevaluating Dinesty Selmon, a 21-year-old woman, was arrested for planning to kidnap an infant from Our Lady of the Lake Children's Hospital in Baton Rouge. The hospital will review its security measures and limit access to units following her arrest. Selmon allegedly lied about being the mother of the 9-month-old baby at the hospital and claiming he was the infant's biological father. She was seen repeatedly visiting "case patients' rooms" while planning to take the child. The President of OLOL Children's Health Jonathon Brouk stated that Selmon never had access to patients' electronic records. Following the arrest, the hospital immediately limited access to the campus and reeducated staff about existing policies. The new procedures will still require visitors to show valid ID and those not wearing a valid guest sticker to be stopped by security.
Published : 4 weeks ago by Gabby Jimenez in General
A week after law enforcement caught a woman planning to kidnap an infant from Our Lady of the Lake Children's Hospital, the hospital announced Thursday that it will be reevaluating its security measures and limiting access to units. Dinesty Selmon, 21, was arrested after she repeatedly went to "case patients' rooms" while planning to kidnap a baby, Baton Rouge police said. According to an arrest report, Selmon tried to convince her boyfriend that she was the mother of a 9-month-old baby at the hospital and that he was the infant's biological father. Selmon lied to obtain a guest "sticker" that is used to identify the visitor and the location they are expected to visit, President of OLOL Children's Health Jonathon Brouk said at a press conference Thursday. The badge is not an access card and Selmon never had access to patients' electronic records, he said.
According to the arrest report, on Feb. 19 and Feb. 20, Selmon was seen in the surgery wing, a floor that is restricted to families, caregivers or guests of the patients. On the night of Feb. 21, Selmon reportedly rang the doorbell of the pediatric intensive care unit after visiting hours and entered the unit by following a parent in and was seen slowly walking past each patient's room. A staff member saw her and escorted her out of the unit. Selmon returned to the PICU the next night, telling an employee she was visiting her nephew. When asked to provide a name and room number, she pretended to make a phone call and left, according to the report. On Feb. 29, Selmon took her boyfriend to visit an infant patient in a hospital room, telling him the child was theirs. It was unclear from the affidavit if other people were present in the room at the time. Selmon's boyfriend became skeptical, alerting the child's hospital nurse two days later, shortly before a planned visit by Selmon and the boyfriend's family members.
A nurse stopped them from entering the patient wing, the affidavit said, and a security guard kept Selmon from entering the hospital. After a weekslong investigation, Baton Rouge police detectives were able to gather enough evidence to obtain a warrant for Selmon on March 12, police said in a news release. Selmon was arrested on March 26 in Bossier City by city police and booked into jail as a fugitive. She was later transported back to Baton Rouge and booked into the East Baton Rouge Parish Prison on a count of attempted kidnapping and seven counts of unauthorized entry of a place of business. Brouk described Selmon's actions as an "isolated incident" that has never happened at the hospital before. Following the arrest the hospital immediately limited access to the campus and reeducated staff about existing policies.
Going forward, each patient will be limited to a four-person guest list, Brouk said. When a visitor arrives, they will still be required to show their valid ID, and hospital staff will check to make sure they are on the guest list when entering the hospital and again when entering the patient's unit. Anyone not wearing a valid guest sticker will be stopped by security, and stickers must be validated daily, Brouk said. While there has been some pushback on the new procedures, Brouk said it is all part of an effort to keep patients safe. “We are committed to caring for every child entrusted to our care,” he said The hospital will also continue to use previous security measures, including offender registry screening, 24/7 police presence and surveillance throughout the campus.
Brouk said the hospital will continue to work with Baton Rouge police to conduct a formal review to its campus security approach, and to determine if an increase police presence is needed. "We will learn from this isolated incident and we will be better because of it," Brouk said. "We will continue to be a place of healing and hope for kids and families from across Louisiana."
Topics: Crime