Mother, boyfriend indicted in death of disabled son

7/31/2004

SANDUSKY - The mother of a disabled 20-year-old man who died in January of a leg injury that went untreated has been charged with involuntary manslaughter along with her boyfriend.

Attorneys for Tesia Ewing, 37, and Gary Lafferty, 41, both of Vickery, Ohio, are to meet Tuesday with prosecutors before Erie County Juvenile and Probate Judge Beverly McGookey.

Ms. Ewing and Mr. Lafferty were arraigned earlier this week on charges of involuntary manslaughter, endangering children, reckless homicide, and failing to provide for a functionally impaired person.

Indictments filed against Ms. Ewing and Mr. Lafferty allege that they caused the death of Nicholas Jackson, who lived them with in Sandusky, by failing to seek proper medical care for him.

Erie County Prosecutor Kevin Baxter said Mr. Jackson, who suffered from cerebral palsy and mental retardation, became trapped in his home about 10 days before his death when his legs became wrapped around a table leg. While being removed from that position, he suffered a torn muscle in his pelvic bone region, the prosecutor said.

Mr. Jackson was taken to Firelands Regional Medical Center on Jan. 14, the day he died from untreated bleeding.