An Algonquin woman has been sentenced to probation for kicking a pregnant nurse in the stomach while being treated at Northwestern Medicine Hospital in McHenry.
Briana M. Veurink, 31, of Algonquin, was charged in March 2021 with one count of aggravated battery of a nurse, a Class 3 felony.
She was later charged with an additional count of aggravated battery of a pregnant or handicapped person, also a Class 3 felony.
Veurink was at Northwestern Medicine Hospital in McHenry on February 17, 2021, receiving treatment.
Prosecutors said she intentionally kicked one of the nurses in the stomach
The nurse was six months pregnant at the time of the incident, prosecutors said.
A bench trial began in late March where several witnesses testified.
McHenry County Judge James Cowlin found Veurink guilty of both counts in April following the trial.
Cowlin on Thursday sentenced Veurink to 18 months of felony probation after finding that the woman was unlikely to commit another crime.
Cowlin also noted that sentencing Veurink to imprisonment would entail “excessive hardship” for her dependents and would endanger her medical condition.
Veurink will be required to obtain an anger evaluation by the end of July and comply with all recommendations of it.
She was also ordered to abstain from any drug or alcohol consumption during her probation.
Veurink faced up to five years in prison.