A Liberty County woman has been sentenced to federal prison following her conviction for attacking medical professionals at Fort Stewart.
Christie F. Oxendine, 35, of Hinesville, Ga., received a 16-month prison sentence after being found guilty of obstructing and hindering emergency professionals, along with misdemeanor counts of simple battery and disorderly conduct, according to Jill E. Steinberg, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia. U.S. District Court Chief Judge R. Stan Baker also mandated that Oxendine serve three years of supervised release upon completing her prison term. Federal sentences do not include parole.
“While family members and patients will occasionally disagree on standards of care in medical facilities, it is inexcusable to physically attack and disrupt the work of health care professionals,” said U.S. Attorney Steinberg. “This sentence of incarceration makes clear that violent and abusive behavior will not be tolerated.”
During the trial, it was revealed that Oxendine brought her minor child to Winn Army Community Hospital at Fort Stewart for treatment. Despite lacking medical training, she demanded specific procedures that were neither medically recommended nor part of the standard care and potentially more dangerous for her child. When staff attempted to continue treatment without adhering to her demands, Oxendine became verbally and physically abusive.
Oxendine disconnected her child from medical equipment and tried to forcibly remove her from the hospital. In the process, she shoved one pregnant nurse and pushed another into a wall while yelling profanities. Military police later removed the child from Oxendine’s vehicle for continued treatment, leading to Oxendine being banned from the facility.
Oxendine was convicted on all counts after a two-day trial in April. She is required to report for incarceration at an assigned Bureau of Prisons facility by Sept. 23.
The case was investigated by the Department of the Army Criminal Investigations Division and Military Police and prosecuted by Southern District of Georgia Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew A. Josephson and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Z. Spitulnik.