Hospital Faces $50K Fine in Infant Abduction

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. — Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital is facing a $50,000 fine for an infant kidnapping incident recently reviewed by the California Department of Public Health.

Leanna Patricia Arzate posed as a nurse and took the infant from its mother’s room, NOOZHAWK reports. She was arrested and the child was returned to his parents several hours after being abducted.

After the incident, Cottage Hospital was one of 14 facilities fined for noncompliance with licensing requirements. The hospital has since implemented security measures such as mandatory badges for everyone who enters the hospital.

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