Police: Prison inmate Cheri Akil charged after punching pregnant medical worker, killing fetus
FORT WORTH (CBSNewsTexas) - Prison inmate Cheri Akil, 39, faces a murder charge after punching a pregnant medical worker's stomach, causing her to lose the baby, the Tarrant County Sheriff's Office said.
The assault happened on April 12 at John Peter Smith Hospital. Akil was arrested two days before for credit card or debit card abuse.
Police said Akil was restrained due to her suicidal tendencies. While the medical worker was standing next to her bed, police said Akil hit her.
The victim went to the JPS Trauma Unit for treatment where an ultrasound was performed. It showed her unborn child no longer had a pulse.
Court records show Akil was previously arrested for driving while intoxicated, intent to operate a game room violation, and assault causing bodily injury.
The Tarrant County Sheriff wasn't available for an interview on April 18 about what happened. But his office said the restraints used on Akil were put on by JPS staff.
"At JPS Health Network, the safety and wellness of our team members is our top priority," said Jessica Virnoche, the executive director of communications for the JPS Health Network, in a statement. "JPS takes Workplace Violence incidents very seriously and has processes in place to assess and address environmental risks. Due to individual and patient privacy rules, JPS is not in a position to provide any additional information about this incident at this time."
Akil is currently in a secure area of the hospital until she's booked into the Tarrant County Jail.