Woman charged with child abuse, neglect after repeated unnecessary medical procedures

MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) – An Oklahoma woman is facing charges in Milwaukee for child abuse and neglect.

According to a criminal complaint, Alisha Newman is accused of repeatedly providing false or misleading information to medical providers in multiple states regarding the care of a 10-year-old.

Court documents state Newman brought the child to Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin on May 7. Doctors say the child was severely ill and suffering from an infection. The criminal complaint says the child was also hospitalized five weeks earlier in Oklahoma for another serious infection.

During the hospital stay in Milwaukee, Newman told doctors the child suffered from multiple conditions including muscular dystrophy, hypertension and mitochondrial disease. Newman also told doctors the child had a pacemaker on her heart, a port and a feeding tube.

Newman’s statements raised concerns for doctors because the child was hospitalized in Milwaukee in 2016 and a diagnosis of muscular dystrophy was ruled out.

According to the criminal complaint, doctors did a review of all of the child’s medical records and found a concerning pattern of Newman going to multiple providers in several states including Oklahoma, Texas, Ohio, Wisconsin, North Carolina and Tennessee, which led to the child being misdiagnosed and undergoing multiple unwarranted medical procedures.

Court documents state the child does not have a terminal illness and there is reasonable evidence the child does not need a pacemaker. Additionally, experts say the 10-year-old does not need a port which exposes the child to infections.

Newman faces 27 years in prison and $75,000 in fines.