Florida nurse silenced a sick child’s oxygen alarm 100 times and didn’t wake his parents. Then she requested leniency from the judge

A Florida nurse has been sentenced to prison after repeatedly silencing the medical alarms of a vulnerable 3-year-old child who was suffering from dangerously low oxygen levels.

Sharlene Pflugrad, 65, was ordered by Lee Circuit Judge Bruce Kyle on Sept. 22, 2026, to serve 30 months in state prison, followed by another 30 months of probation. As reported by Court TV, the licensed practical nurse was also required to permanently surrender her medical license and complete 100 hours of community service after her release.

The criminal case stems from an overnight shift that ran from Sept. 15 to Sept. 16, 2025, at a family home in Cape Coral, Florida. Pflugrad had been hired through a home healthcare agency to monitor a medically complex 3-year-old boy named Lucas. The child, who was born prematurely at just 24 weeks, was suffering from a severe acute respiratory illness at the time. Because of his fragile condition, Lucas required strict overnight monitoring from 10:00 p.m. to 8:15 a.m.

The nurse was caught on camera telling the alarm to “shut up”

Under the emergency medical protocols established by the family and nursing agency, the caregiver on duty was supposed to give him supplemental oxygen, wake the parent, and call emergency services if his blood-oxygen level dropped below 88%. Normal oxygen saturation typically sits between 95% and 100%.

However, investigative records obtained by the Fort Myers News-Press showed that home surveillance systems captured 147 separate video clips documenting what prosecutors described as a serious failure of care.

The footage showed Pflugrad manually silencing the oximeter alarm roughly 100 times throughout the night. Instead of giving Lucas oxygen or following the emergency procedures, she was filmed resetting the monitor sensors. At one point, audio captured Pflugrad telling the alarm to “shut up” while the toddler could be seen gasping, wheezing and coughing.

During the early morning hours, Pflugrad also took photos of the medical monitor as it showed oxygen levels of 81% and 79%. Rather than intervening, she texted the photos to Lucas’ mother, who was asleep in another room.

The mother did not see the messages until she woke up at 6:13 a.m. When she entered the bedroom, she found her son struggling to breathe. After the parents’ attempts to raise his oxygen levels failed, they called emergency services. 

Pflugrad initially pleaded no contest to a felony child neglect charge in July 2026. She later tried to withdraw the plea, claiming she had been pressured by her former defense attorney and wanted to take the case to a jury. Judge Kyle denied the request.

The judge said this wasn’t just a bad night

At the sentencing hearing, Lucas’ mother gave an emotional victim impact statement and revealed that the night of neglect left her son with permanent lung scarring. He now requires daily oxygen therapy, three separate breathing treatments and multiple medications, resulting in frequent hospitalizations.

“I don’t believe your intentions were to harm him, but the level of recklessness and carelessness is disheartening,” the mother testified.

When addressing the court, Pflugrad apologized for failing to wake Lucas’ mother but continued to deny any clinical wrongdoing. Judge Kyle ultimately rejected the defense’s request for leniency. Before handing down the prison sentence, he said, “I think some time [in prison] is appropriate. This wasn’t just negligence or a bad night.”