STATEN ISLAND, N.Y.— A Staten Island man charged with assaulting a nurse while being hospitalized for mental health issues became the subject of a debate this week over bail conditions.
Isiah Peters, 26, was charged with second-degree assault, third-degree assault and second-degree harassment in connection with the July 12 incident at Richmond University Medical Center in West Brighton, court documents allege.
During an arraignment hearing Wednesday in state Supreme Court, St. George, prosecutors said the defendant, who stands about 5′7″ and 280 pounds, is accused of punching a female nurse in the eye as she was trying to secure his belongings. The victim, they alleged, continues to have difficulty seeing out of one eye.
In arguing for bail to remain at $5,000 cash or $10,000 bond, assistant district attorneys cited four prior misdemeanor convictions and multiple bench warrants. Additionally, they noted, is what’s believed to be involvement with an organized theft ring and out-of-state ties.
Peters was on probation for a theft case in the Philadelphia area at the time of the alleged assault on Staten Island.
Defense attorney Susan Platis took exception to the fact that felony charges were pursued in the first place, after she said her client was taken by EMS to RUMC and then was in the process of being transferred to another facility to address mental health concerns.
“I’m a little troubled by [the] indictment,” submitted the public defender on behalf of the Legal-Aid Society of Staten Island. “My client was being treated for something he’s now being prosecuted for.”
Peters, who according to DOC records is a native of New Zealand, claimed he was missing $60,000 from his belongings at the hospital around the time of the incident. Prosecutors told the court Wednesday they believe those claims to be false.
Family of the defendant, according to his attorney, have been supportive since his arrest but unable to afford the $1,000 necessary for his release.
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