Florida

Autopsy Results Expected for Woman Removed From Panhandle Hospital

Autopsy results are expected to be released in the death of a woman who refused to leave a Florida hospital when doctors discharged her and collapsed when police arrested and forcibly removed her.

Blountstown police Chief Mark Mallory says 57-year-old Barbara Dawson collapsed Monday while being escorted in handcuffs from the Liberty Calhoun Hospital, where she sought treatment for breathing trouble. Mallory says an officer arrested Dawson for disorderly conduct and trespassing.

Mallory says he expects autopsy results to be released Wednesday. Florida Department of Law Enforcement spokesman Steve Arthur says the department has been called in to investigate.

Tallahassee attorney Daryl Parks is representing Dawson's family. He says doctors thought Dawson was stable and should be released but that she felt as if she still had breathing issues and wanted to stay.

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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