A Winona man has been bound over to the action of the Montgomery County Grand Jury after he touched a nurse inappropriately and told her that he was to perform a lewd act on her.
Auntonio Hardy of Winona was charged with simple assault on medical personnel, which is a felony. He was also charged with two counts of public drunkenness and two counts of disorderly conduct.
“I’m pleading not guilty to all this stuff! I ain’t do none of this stuff!” Hardy said walking into the courtroom. He was seated at the defense table while Lancaster tried another case, but became disruptive in the middle of the case.
Hardy attempted to stand up and leave and was told to sit down by officers.
“I don’t wanna be in here, I refuse this,” Hardy said. “I deny this. I got the right to deny it.”
Lancaster told him that he did have the right to deny, but not the right to disrupt court and if he did so again, he would be in contempt of court.
Before his hearing, Lancaster asked Hardy whether he pled guilty or not guilty. He admitted to being drunk and to one of the disorderly conduct charges.
“So, you didn’t follow what Officer [Matt] Miletello said, that’s him,” Lancaster said pointing at Miletello, “But you did follow what Officer [Orlando] Bolden said, is that what you’re telling me?”
Hardy said he didn’t remember who Bolden was or what he told him to do. Since he pled guilty to public drunkenness, he dismissed the second disorderly conduct charge because he said he wasn’t justifying it, but he said it explained why Hardy was disorderly.
During the hearing, Miletello testified that police were dispatched to the hospital where they encountered Hardy, who he said had been drinking. He said the nurse told him what Hardy did and said to her.
“She still treated him,” he said.
“He kept trying to leave, cutting the lights off in the emergency room, he was disruptive,” Miletello said. He said the nurse was shaken up, but she still treated Hardy. He said Hardy brought himself to the hospital.
City Prosecutor Putt Crull asked Miletello did Hardy appear to be drunk when the incident took place, and Miletello said he did.
Because of HIPPA rules the hospital couldn’t disclose why Hardy was being treated, but Crull said officials with Tyler Holmes Memorial Hospital were trying to get him moved.
“They were trying to send him to Grenada, but it didn’t work,” he said.
