JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A Jacksonville woman was arrested on trespassing charges after refusing to leave her daughter's side after hospital visiting hours ended at UF Health North.
An arrest report says 70-year-old Lynn Savage, who is a 20-year retired deputy with the Stark County, Ohio, Sheriff's Office, told an officer she understood but would have to be removed from her daughter's hospital room by force. Her daughter was recovering from surgery at UF Health on Max Leggett Parkway, according to the report.
Amber Lynn Miller, 45, is a mother of 4 children and the daughter of Savage.
She was a paralegal in Jacksonville for 15 years until her life took a tragic turn after she had a stroke in 2015.
“Amber is non-verbal. The stroke affected her right side. She’s partially paralyzed on her right side," said Savage.
Between Miller’s stroke in 2015 and this month, a piece of her skull dropped and grew on her brain.
Savage says October 4 is when she took her daughter to UF Health North to get a craniectomy.
“The doctor's nursing assistance came out and got me and asked if Amber had a problem with anxiety because she was starting to pull cords and wires," said Savage.
When Savage got to her daughter’s hospital room she says her daughter became calm but that evening things got bad.
“When they brought her back to the room they said the MRI was worst than the one they took right after surgery," said Savage.
Due to COVID-19, the visitation hours at UF Health North are from 9 a.m-7 p.m.
Police were called to the hospital in reference to an individual refusing to leave after visitation hours ended, the report says. The hospital's security officers had already spent "a couple of hours" pleading with Savage to leave because visitation had ended at 7 p.m.
“I didn’t put up any fight. I didn’t get angry. I simply stated I’m not leaving. I can not in good conscious leave my daughter when I don’t even know if she is going to make it through the night,” said Savage.
The officer explained to Savage that the reason security called the police was for a trespass warning, according to the report. "She understood completely why police were called," the report says.
Savage was cooperative as the officer placed her under arrest, the report says. After the officer escorted her outside the hospital, he pleaded with Savage to "come to reason," leave and return when visitation resumed the next morning at 9 a.m.
Savage refused, saying that on principle if something were to happen to her daughter, she was forced to leave her side.
First Coast News Crime Analyst, Mark Baughman, says you must follow the hospital’s instructions.
“The rules are the rules and they are in place for that reason, in this case, she has authority to go in there for certain visitation hours and the time was up and she had to leave," said Baughman.
Savage says her daughter is home now and she is still recovering and later this month. Miller is expected to have another MRI.
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