By Kameel Stanley, Times Staff Writer
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
The Pinellas County Sheriff's Office is investigating the death of a 26-year-old female resident of a group home run by the Upper Pinellas Association for Retarded Citizens.
Sheldon Hershman, executive director of UPARC, said the unidentified woman was in the midst of a "severe behavioral episode" when she went into cardiac arrest late last month.
She was transported to Mease Countryside Hospital on Nov. 26 and remained there until her death on Dec. 1, according to the Pinellas-Pasco Medical Examiner's Office. The cause of death is still under investigation, said spokesman Bill Pellan.
The Sheriff's Office said its investigation began on Nov. 26 but would not release any other details, including the circumstances surrounding her death or the location of the group home.
Hershman said five staff members have been put on leave pending the outcome of ...