Home care nurse charged in 3-year-old's death

 

COLOMA, Mich. -- A home care nurse is facing a second degree murder charge in connection with the death of a 3-year-old girl in her care, according to court records.

Judith Sobol was charged with second degree murder and possession of methamphetamine on Monday and was arraigned on Wednesday.

Around 2:30 a.m. Monday, Coloma Police were called to a home on E. Becht for reports of a patient in full arrest.

When the officer arrived, the parents told police they found their 3-year-old lying on the ground next to the nighttime nurse who was supposed to monitor the toddler because she has several medical conditions, reports said.

Sobol was lying on the ground next to the child mumbling, reports said.

The child's trachea tube was disconnected and the child was blue. They started CPR and called police.

The 3-year-old was transported to the hospital where she was pronounced deceased just before 4 a.m.

Sobol told an officer with Watervliet Police that she did meth before coming to work that day and she killed the baby, reports said.

Sobol was transported to the Coloma Police Department and interviewed about the incident.

Sobol told officers she had been injecting meth before coming to work for the past few days. She said she had last injected meth at noon before coming to work that night, reports said.

During the interview, she said the child was killed as a result of her actions and she was not in the right state of mind to be at work, reports said.

Sobol believed when she was cleaning up, the trachea tube may have come out and she passed out or fell asleep, but never reinserted the tube, reports said.

Police were unable to find the trachea attachment and were later informed it was tangled in the child's hair.

Police located 2 meth pipes and a methamphetamine in Sobol's purse, according to court records.

Coloma's Police Chief was unable to comment on this case.

The victim's family has asked for privacy.