Lawrence County caretaker convicted of not refilling patient's prescription before fatal seizure

A Lawrence County caretaker was convicted of failing to renew a patient's medications, leading to a fatal seizure in 2021, the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General announced on Thursday. 

A jury found 50-year-old Kelly Gonzales of New Castle guilty of neglect of a care-dependent person and endangering the welfare of a care-dependent person, both of which are felonies.

As the administrator at ARC, a personal care home in New Castle, the attorney general's office said Gonzales was tasked with managing residents' care, including making sure they got their medications. 

In this case, prosecutors said Gonzales didn't fill the victim's anti-seizure medication, and she didn't tell anyone else to do it, even though she knew it had run out. According to testimony, two of Gonzales' colleagues told her to take the resident to the emergency room to have his medication filled, but she never did. 

The resident died at the home on Dec. 2, 2021, after not having his medication for over 10 days. 

"Those who make the commitment to care for our most vulnerable residents take on a serious responsibility, and this defendant's failure to fulfill that duty was catastrophic," Pennsylvania Attorney General Dave Sunday said in a press release. "Perhaps what is most tragic about this case is that the loss of life was preventable."  

Sentencing is scheduled for May 21, the attorney general's office said.