Pontiac- Wendy Marie Donaldson will serve 90 days in jail with work release and serve three years of probation for involuntary manslaughter in the death of group home resident Carol Christie last May.
Donaldson was sentenced Jan. 8 by Sixth Judicial Circuit Court Judge John McDonald.
Donaldson, an Ortonville resident, avoided a jury trial by pleading no contest to involuntary manslaughter on Nov. 8 in front of McDonald. A vulnerable adult abuse charge was dismissed. Through the plea, McDonald agreed to cap the sentence. In Donaldson’s case, McDonald agreed to a one-year sentence, within the guideline range, but with the balance to be suspended after serving 90 days.
‘We had an arrangement (with the judge), so this was anticipated,? said Bradley Stout, Donaldson’s attorney. ‘A 90-day sentence in jail for manslaughter is a good outcome, but given the circumstances here I was disappointed she had no other option than to plead no contest to manslaughter.?
Donaldson, now 26, was working at a group home in the 7000 block of Oakhill Road on the evening of May 11. She placed Christie, a 66-year-old severely mentally and physically disabled resident, into the bathtub at about 7:15 p.m., according to a special investigations report from the Michigan Department of Human Services.
In the report, Donaldson stated she left Christie in the bathtub and would return to check on her every 10 minutes. The other staff member on duty left at about 8:15 p.m.
At about 8:27 p.m., Brandon deputies responded to a call to the home owned by Living Alternatives for the Developmentally Disabled, and, according to police reports, found Brandon firefighters performing CPR on Christie and attempting to calm a hysterical Donaldson.
Christie was transported to Genesys Regional Medical Center where on May 13 she was removed from a ventilator and died. An autopsy revealed the cause of death was anoxic encephalopathy, caused by near drowning.
The MHDS investigative report found two violations relating to Christie’s death? staffing requirements and resident protection. The report notes that Donaldson attempted to bathe two residents simultaneously while working alone during the time of the incident.
‘Hopefully there is some good that can come from this,? said Oakland County Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Denise Brainard. ‘There needs to be more oversight of group homes, a better staffing ratio. Clearly, if there had been someone else there, this wouldn’t have happened… The bottom line is what happened to Carol was a tragedy that could have been prevented with more diligence on the part of a lot of individuals, but particularly the defendant.?
Stout agreed the home was understaffed and believes that had as much to do with Christie dying as anything else.
‘I don’t think she was appropriately charged,? he said. ‘She didn’t intend for this to happen and has been devastated by the ordeal.?