Kern Valley Sun
Three defendants charged with eight counts of abusing elderly patients at Kern Valley Hospital waited quietly outside Kern County Superior Court Friday.
Los Angeles-based attorney Donald Etra, representing Dr. Hoshang Pormir, predicted, “This will be a lengthy trial. With three defendants charged with eight counts each, there will be a lot of motions.”
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The hospital’s former Director of Nursing Gwen Hughes huddled alone in her wheelchair at the opposite end of the corridor, waited for her attorney Bruce Blythe of Bakersfield.
Ex-hospital CEO Pam Ott, represented by Bakersfield attorney James Faulkner, appeared to be in good spirits. “I’m enjoying life and my 3-year-old granddaughter. This time off really is a blessing,” Ott said.
The defendants were back in court yesterday for additional preliminary and other hearings. According to Etra, the judge found probable cause to proceed with the trial and will likely schedule additional court dates for post-preliminary arraignment “in possibly two weeks.”
The California Attorney General's Office alleged in February 2009 the trio played a role in drugging at least 22 elderly residents with mood-altering medications to quiet and control them. Those drugs led to three deaths, the state alleged. If convicted, the defendants could face up to 11 years in prison.



Comments
11 comment(s)home girl wrote on Sep 12, 2010 10:08 PM:
home girl wrote on Sep 12, 2010 10:00 PM:
FYI, I know she uses her chair for sympathy. It is of course, a ploy. "
To know what happened wrote on Sep 5, 2010 10:37 AM:
know what happened wrote on Sep 1, 2010 3:44 AM:
Pray4Peace wrote on Aug 29, 2010 10:26 AM:
Instead of locking them up for, say, 5 years costing us $250,000 each, we could inflict punishment that benefits society instead.
Perhaps they could be made to perform many hours of community service every week for 10 years. They could still hold jobs, pay taxes, & support their families instead of costing us more.
Building more prisons and sending people to for-profit prisons is not economically sustainable. "
Pray4Peace wrote on Aug 28, 2010 11:34 AM:
Let's say they are sentenced to 5 years. That would cost tax payers about $250,000. Instead, we could make them perform hours of community service every week for 10 years. They could still hold jobs, support their families and pay taxes. Not only would we save prison cost, but we would reap benefit from their punishment. "
home girl wrote on Aug 28, 2010 12:10 AM:
home girl wrote on Aug 28, 2010 12:00 AM:
home girl wrote on Aug 27, 2010 11:57 PM:
jjones wrote on Aug 25, 2010 4:02 PM:
ann marie wrote on Aug 25, 2010 4:45 AM: