Midwife facing felony charge of practicing in Nebraska without license

Judy Jones, 74, of Irene, South Dakota, appeared earlier than County Choose Michael Lengthy on Tuesday after she was charged with unlicensed observe of nurse midwifery on March 16. Stu Dornan, Jones’ legal professional, requested a preliminary listening to to find out whether or not possible trigger exists to bind the felony cost over to Madison County District Court docket.

It’s alleged that Jones, after receiving a cease-and-desist order, practiced with out having obtained a credential below the Uniform Credentialing Act between Jan. 1 and Aug. 31, 2021. The cost is a Class 3 felony punishable by as much as 4 years’ imprisonment, a $25,000 high-quality or each. Submit-release supervision additionally may very well be ordered if Jones is convicted.

Per the Nebraska Division of Well being and Human Companies, the care that licensed midwife nurses are permitted to offer in Nebraska contains attendance at childbirth; prenatal, intrapartum and postpartum care; regular obstetrical and gynecological companies for girls; and look after the new child instantly following delivery.

In Nebraska, solely medical medical doctors or doctor’s assistants below the path of a medical physician are capable of carry out a preplanned at-home-delivery, mentioned Jeff Powell, the interim deputy director for the Nebraska Division of Well being and Human Companies. Even licensed, licensed nurse midwives can’t carry out a preplanned supply at a house, he mentioned.

Jones had been ordered to cease training in Nebraska and not using a license in 1999, and Powell mentioned Jones has not sought a license as an authorized nurse midwife within the state.

In January 1993, Jones was completely enjoined from training midwifery and not using a license in South Dakota after aiding within the at-home supply of a kid, in line with South Dakota Supreme Court docket information.

This isn’t the primary time she’s been accused of unlicensed midwifery observe. She assisted in two at-home births, one in August 1999 and one in March 2001 in Minnehaha County, South Dakota. And in April 2001, she was indicted on 4 counts of unlicensed observe of midwifery in reference to the 2 at-home births. Jones was beforehand present in contempt of the court docket’s 1993 injunction to not observe and not using a license.

Jones additionally had confronted prices out of Custer County, Nebraska, in reference to the 2011 dying of an toddler boy. On April 15, 2011, Jones entered right into a contract with the boy’s mother and father “to spiritually minister to and assist (the mom) throughout her being pregnant and within the supply of their little one,” in line with a civil case that Jones filed towards legislation enforcement investigators and Custer County prosecutors in 2018.

On Sept. 24, 2011, the lady gave delivery to the boy at house and with Jones’ companies. Shortly after delivery, the toddler had issue respiratory and Jones offered “rescue respiratory” till the boy was transported to a medical heart in Damaged Bow. The boy was transported to a hospital in Kearney after which to Nebraska Medication in Omaha.

He was positioned on hospice care on Oct. 11 and died 9 days later.

Jones had at one level confronted felony prices in reference to the boy’s dying, together with manslaughter. The case noticed quite a few delays and, in October 2015, it was dismissed after prosecutors mentioned the events concerned within the case not wished to proceed.

A Madison County sufferer/witness assistant mentioned the alleged recipient of Jones’ Madison County companies made reviews to a hospital, apparently leading to an investigation that incriminated her.

Jones’ preliminary listening to is scheduled for Monday, June 6.