Woman Who Snuck Onto Maternity Ward With Fake Babies Should Be Charged With More Than Trespassing

hand cuffsThere is a very strange story in the news today about a woman going into a hospital with a life-like, fake baby, dressed in scrubs and trying to enter the maternity ward. She actually attempted this twice and it was the second time where she showed up in scrubs, obviously trying to blend in with the nurses for easier access. The police caught her and she was cited with trespassing and released. This disturbs me as I am firmly convinced that a woman in a nurse’s disguise in a maternity ward with fake babies should be charged with more than trespassing.

There are a few truly odd details about this story that make it very hard for me to believe that this women had anything but malicious intentions. From the Associated Press:

Tonya Whitney and a man, whom she later identified as her husband, first went into the hospital on Saturday, each carrying a lifelike doll and drawing suspicion from security officials who told the pair to leave, Merced police Capt. Tom Trindad said.

They returned to Mercy Medical Center on Monday. Police said Whitney ”” this time wearing nurse’s scrubs ”” again tried to enter the maternity ward. Hospital security took photos of the couple and their contact information, and police notified hospitals in the area of their activity.

Whitney, 41, was cited with misdemeanor trespassing and released. The case will be turned over to prosecutors for their consideration.

Police said they were concerned Whitney might have wanted to take a living baby.

Well duh, of course she was trying to take a living baby and this is cause for serious concern. This woman is not a nurse but she showed up the second time dressed like one. The story also states that Whitney claims that she makes the dolls for a living and to comfort woman who cannot have babies or who have lost their own baby. I don’t know about all of you, but if I had a still birth and some woman came into my hospital room trying to shove a fake baby into my arms I would probably beat her over the head with my IV stand. Does she really think she’s fooling anyone with her ludicrous story?

Either way, whether this was an attempt at kidnapping or a very misguided business plan, I am glad this woman was not able to gain access to any of the mothers and babies on the floor. I’m sure that security concerns are on the minds of many parents as they go to a hospital to give birth and it is reassuring to hear that there are protocols in place to prevent people from swooping in and taking babies right out of their beds. I am glad the police were able to at least cite her for misdemeanor trespassing but the “Law and Order” fan in me is concerned that this could definitely escalate. If she really did do this in an attempt to steal a live baby, then what is to stop her from taking it a step further and trying to kidnap a pregnant woman or a baby out with it’s parents in a public place? I really hope that is not the case but I don’t think it is unreasonable to say that we probably have not heard the last of Tonya Whitney.

(Image: rimira/Shutterstock)

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