The state attorney general’s Division of Consumer Affairs announced Thursday that Naomi Derrick’s registered nursing license had been revoked by the New Jersey Board of Nursing as a result of the incident. Derrick was also required to pay 10% of the cost of the investigation.
In 2016, Derrick was witnessed by a coworker threatening the unidentified teen with needles before eventually stabbing him with the syringes. Security cameras also captured Derrick’s actions. It is unclear if the syringes were new or used.
Following the incident, she was charged with aggravated assault and terroristic threats, child endangerment and possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose. Derrick claimed that she only showed the teen the needle to coerce him into following her orders after he called her names, pulled her hair and threw sheets at her. Derrick asked the department to suspend her license rather than revoke it, claiming she had not received any other complaints during her eight years as a nurse.
In January, she was permitted to enter a pretrial program, which investigates offenders’ backgrounds and recommends whether they should be held or released on bail while waiting for their trial. Additionally, the program supervises individuals if they are released before trial.
"Intimidating and terrorizing a developmentally disabled child who is completely dependent on your care is a horror that should not be visited upon anyone," Paul R. Rodríguez, acting director of the Division of Consumer Affairs, is quoted as saying Thursday.
