A mentally ill patient who has been locked in seclusion at Staunton's Western State Hospital for 15 years is getting more freedom.
Cesar Chumil, 58, has lived locked in a three-room dormitory-style suite since 1993 because staff say he is too unpredictably violent to live among other patients.
According to The Associated Press, a state oversight committee in November had given the hospital until Friday to move Chumil to another facility or transition him out of his suite.
Chumil will now be able to come out of his room into a larger room where staff would be present in padded gear and helmets.
Reported by NBC29 HD News
