A Florida home nurse has been sentenced to one year in jail after pleading guilty to charges of child neglect, stemming from her care of a premature infant. Kelly Perrigo, 62, faced these charges following her arrest several months ago and entered her guilty plea on Monday.

Perrigo was employed by Team Select, a service providing home nursing care for patients of various ages, including both children and the elderly. The case came to light when the parents of a micro-preemie, born at just 24 weeks, contacted authorities after discovering discrepancies in Perrigo’s claims about feeding their child.

According to the arrest affidavit, the infant required continuous medical attention, prompting the family to hire both a daytime and a nighttime nurse, each working 12-hour shifts. Perrigo served as the nighttime nurse. In September 2024, she informed the family that the baby had consumed all of his bottles during her shift. However, the child’s blood sugar levels were dangerously low, raising concerns for the parents.

To uncover the truth, the parents reviewed surveillance footage from their home, which revealed that Perrigo only fed the baby for a brief two to five minutes. Instead of administering the leftover formula via the baby’s feeding tube, Perrigo confessed to police that she disposed of it in the bathroom or kitchen. During her police interview, she rationalized her actions by stating the infant was “eating more during the day.”

The parents viewed surveillance footage from their home, which captured Perrigo’s shift and showed her feeding the baby with a bottle for about two to five minutes. Instead of putting the remainder of the formula in the baby’s feeding tube, she admitted to police during an interview that she “would pour out the remainder in the bathroom or the kitchen.” During her interview, she told police she would get rid of it because the baby was “eating more during the day.”

When Perrigo was asked by police why she did not feed the baby his full bottles as instructed, she responded, “Poor judgment.”

Texts between Perrigo and the baby’s mother were included in the affidavit. The baby’s mother repeatedly confronted Perrigo over why she did not feed the baby at all on some occasions and lied about other feedings. Perrigo often cited “poor judgment” and repeatedly apologized.

Perrigo also seemingly pointed the finger at Team Select, telling police that she told them during her hiring process that she had “no pediatric care” experience. The affidavit said that she had been fired from another pediatric nursing job for a premature baby through Team Select. Perrigo’s reason for the firing was that she was caught “smoking in the bathroom,” but Team Select did not provide a reason for the firing.

The parents of the baby said their little boy had issues gaining weight, displayed low energy, and went into liver failure as a result of his lack of nutrition. While the baby survived and was expected to live, the mother of the baby was in court on Monday when Perrigo was sentenced. She stated that the baby had undergone 12 surgeries and will have long-term health issues as a result of Perrigo’s neglect.

Perrigo was sentenced to one year in jail and will have to give up her nursing licenses.