Midwife faces criminal charges

Art Nadler and Ed Koch

Monday, April 26, 1999 | 10:52 a.m.

A preliminary hearing for a midwife charged with child neglect has been set for 9 a.m. on June 29 before Justice of the Peace Jennifer Togliatti.

Kellie Sparkman, 39, could be bound over for trial in District Court if the evidence against her is deemed strong enough.

Sparkman is charged with neglect with substantial bodily harm in complications following the birth of Sarai Coreas-Cruz, who was born on Jan. 8. The baby is doing fine now, Sparkman said.

Sparkman and about 100 people staged a protest in front of the courthouse before the hearing this morning. Her supporters continued protesting throughout the hearing.

"This is happening all over the United States," Sparkman said. "The doctors have organized a plan to single out midwives. This is not about me. It's not local. A midwife was just arrested in Tennessee."

Sparkman said that if a midwife can be charged in connection with complications of a child's birth, then hospitals ought to be criminally liable too. She challenged hospitals to open their records to show how often babies are born with complications.

Sparkman has been a midwife for more than 10 years and has delivered more than 300 babies, she said.

The baby retained meconium, or fecal matter, in her lungs following the home birth, Sparkman said. She said the baby had problems breathing after birth but was able to drink a bottle of formula.

Two hour later, when Sparkman said she felt the baby was still having problems breathing, she took her to Sunrise Hospital.

A physician at the hospital later contacted Metro Police to report suspected child neglect.

"I took her to intensive care. They wouldn't take her," Sparkman said after being charged. "We had to take her up front to the triage where everyone goes. They spent a lot of time running us around the hospital when we got there."