WINK interview played in court; judge rejects nurse’s attempt to withdraw plea

LEE COUNTY, Fla. (WINK) — A former in-home care nurse accused of neglecting a medically fragile child tried Monday to take back the no-contest plea she entered last month, telling a judge she felt scared, pressured and would have preferred to take the case to trial.

Instead, a judge ruled Sharlene Pflugrad "knowingly, willingly and voluntarily" entered the plea and denied her new attorney's request to withdraw it.

The hearing took an unusual turn when prosecutors played WINK News' interview with Pflugrad in full before the judge.

WINK Investigates exclusively confirmed Pflugrad is the second in-home care nurse to face child neglect charges involving the same child.

Another nurse who cared for the child previously pleaded guilty to child neglect and was sentenced to one year in jail.

Pflugrad says she was "pressured" into plea

Monday's hearing was originally scheduled as Pflugrad's sentencing hearing.

Instead, her newly appointed attorney, Joseph Viacava, asked the judge to allow Pflugrad to withdraw the open no-contest plea she entered July 21.

Pflugrad has consistently maintained her innocence, stating that she did her job and does not believe she should have been charged.

“I worked with the family over a year and a half, and I cared for the baby very much, and I did my job,” Pflugrad told WINK Investigates after entering her plea July 21.

Pflugrad on Monday testified that she wanted to go to trial and believed she was innocent, but became frightened after being told she could face three to five years in prison if convicted.

She said she felt pressured and believed entering the plea was her only option.

Her attorney argued Pflugrad did not have enough information to make an informed decision about giving up her right to a trial.

Pflugrad's new attorney, Viacava, also told the judge he wanted to hire an expert and argued the defense could be ready for trial within 45 to 60 days.

Pflugrad's former attorney testified for the State and gave a different account.

Jose L. Calvo told the judge that he had discussed the plea, the possible sentence and the consequences of an open plea with Pflugrad. He testified that she understood an open plea meant there was no agreement with the State on her sentence and that the judge alone would decide her punishment.

Pflugrad did not comment after Monday's hearing.

A chaotic two days in court in July

Monday's hearing stemmed from a series of events that happened in court last month.

July 20th, Pflugrad was presented with a negotiated plea agreement that called for 364 days in Lee County Jail.

Pflugrad had concerns about the agreement and her attorney and indicated she wanted to go to trial.

After more than an hour outside the courtroom, Pflugrad returned to court and said she would accept the plea. However, one answer during the required questioning prompted the judge to decide for her.

"I'm showing you page four of the plea form. Is this your signature to indicate that you agree with the terms and conditions?" the judge said. "Not really, but," Pflugrad said. "See you tomorrow morning, 8:30 for trial... I cannot accept the plea after that. I'll see you tomorrow morning," the judge said.

Pflugrad could be heard in the background saying she wants to accept the deal and asking the judge to "please" reconsider. He did not. 

The next day, rather than going to trial, Pflugrad entered an open no-contest plea. There was no agreement with the State about what sentence she would receive.

That meant she was no longer guaranteed the one-year jail sentence offered in the earlier negotiated deal. Instead, the judge would decide her sentence.

Prosecutors play WINK interview in court

Following her entering an open no-contest plea, Pflugrad spoke with WINK Investigates and told her side of the story, saying she did her job and wouldn't have done anything different.

"I'm just warning anyone in the medical field that they could have a similar outcome, and it's unfortunate that when an unfortunate event happens, the people that are trying to help the most, they get blamed," Pflugrad said.

During Monday's hearing, prosecutors played that entire interview for the judge.

In the interview, Pflugrad maintained she had done nothing wrong and said she was being unfairly blamed.

“I'm surprised I'm being thrown under the bus when I always went out of my way to help them,” she said.

Pflugrad also disputed the allegation that she failed to recognize the child was experiencing hypoxia.

“There was no signs and symptoms of hypoxia. I had seen him before many times sick, and with low oxygen.”

The State used the interview, along with Pflugrad's answers during the plea hearing and testimony from her former attorney, to argue that she understood the plea and the consequences of entering it.

What Pflugrad is accused of

Pflugrad was arrested in December and charged with child neglect involving a premature baby.

According to investigators, the child experienced respiratory distress while Pflugrad was providing in-home care in September 2025.

The arrest affidavit alleges the child's oxygen saturation dropped below 88%. Investigators say Pflugrad silenced the oxygen monitor's alarms and failed to administer oxygen or call emergency services.

Investigators also reviewed home surveillance footage and alleged Pflugrad repeatedly muted the monitor's alarms during the incident.

The child was eventually taken to the hospital, where medical records indicated prolonged oxygen deprivation, according to the arrest affidavit.

Pflugrad has disputed the allegations. She told WINK News she did not see signs of hypoxia and believed the oxygen readings could have been related to the monitoring equipment.

Investigators later had the pulse oximeter tested by its manufacturer, which reported that the device was functioning properly.

The victim's family attorney previously told WINK Investigates that the family believes the agencies responsible for hiring, training, placing and supervising nurses caring for vulnerable children need to be held accountable.

Attorneys for the victim's family declined to comment after Monday's hearing.

Judge rejects request to withdraw plea

After hearing from Pflugrad, her new attorney, prosecutors and her former attorney, the judge denied the motion Monday.

The judge said he believed Pflugrad understood what was at stake and concluded that she entered the plea “knowingly, willingly, and voluntarily.”

"I think she understood what was at stake," the judge said.

That means the no-contest plea remains in place and Pflugrad will not get a trial unless the plea is successfully challenged through another legal avenue.

Pflugrad's sentencing is now scheduled for Sept. 22.

Her new attorney asked for additional time because the defense wants to hire a medical expert.

The defense could use that expert's evaluation to address the medical circumstances of the case and potentially argue for a lesser sentence.

For now, however, Pflugrad's no-contest plea remains in place, and the judge has rejected her attempt to withdraw it.

If you have a story you’d like WINK Investigates to dig into email us at winkinvestigates@winknews.com or call our tip line at 239-344-5074.