Bond Set for Two Charged in Death of Westmont Nursing Home Resident

Bert Mongreig (L) and Navdeep Dhall (R) have both been charged in the death of an 96 year old resident of the long term care facility both worked at.

It is alleged that upon her return to Cordia, Mongreig, who was the bus driver for the facility, failed to ensure that the victim, who was wheelchair-bound, was off the bus before parking the bus in a back parking lot for the night. That evening into the following morning, temperatures fell to as low as 22 degrees.

WHEATON - DuPage County State’s Attorney Robert Berlin and Westmont Chief of Police Jim Gunther announced today that charges have been filed against two employees of a Westmont nursing home for their alleged roles in the death of a ninety-six-year-old female resident in February, 2021. Bert Mongreig, 63 (d.o.b. 4/15/1958) of the 100 block of East Quincy Street, Westmont and Navdeep Dhall, 43 (d.o.b. 12/10/1977) of the 1800 block of Great Plaines Way, Bolingbrook, each appeared at a bond hearing today where bond was set at $50,000 with 10% to apply for both Mongreig and Dhall in accordance with a previously issued arrest warrant issued by Judge Michael Fleming on June 30, 2021. Mongreig has been charged with two counts of Criminal Neglect of a Long-Term Care Resident Resulting in Death, a Class 3 Felony. Dhall has been charged with one count of Criminal Neglect of a Long-Term Care Resident Resulting in Death and one count of Criminal Neglect of a Long-Term Care Resident, a Class 4 Felony. Mongreig was taken into custody from his home yesterday without incident. Dhall was taken into custody from his home earlier today without incident.

At approximately 10:30 a.m., on February 3, 2021, an employee at Cordia Senior Living, located on Cass Avenue, called 9-1-1 to report that she had found an unresponsive resident of the facility on the facility’s transport bus. Upon their arrival, Westmont Fire Department personnel pronounced the victim deceased with no obvious signs of injury. An investigation into the death led by the Westmont Police Department found that on February 2, 2021, the victim was transported to an area hospital for medical attention and returned from the hospital at approximately 3 p.m. that afternoon. It is alleged that upon her return to Cordia, Mongreig, who was the bus driver for the facility, failed to ensure that the victim, who was wheelchair-bound, was off the bus before parking the bus in a back parking lot for the night. That evening into the following morning, temperatures fell to as low as 22 degrees. It is further alleged that Mongreig entered in the resident logbook that the victim was returned to the facility. It is alleged that when notified at approximately 10 p.m. that evening that the victim was unaccounted for, Dhall, the Resident Care Manager, did not make any effort to locate the victim either that night or the following morning. At approximately 10:15 a.m. on February 3, 2021, other staff at the facility began an effort to locate the victim who was found approximately fifteen minutes later still in the transport bus. The DuPage County Coroner determined the cause of death was cold exposure due to entrapment within the parked van.

“It is alleged that the gross recklessness displayed by both Mr. Mongreig and Mr. Dhall resulted in the death of a ninety-six-year-old resident in their care,” Berlin said. “Seniors at long-term care facilities rely on others for their personal safety and day-to-day needs. Today’s charges demonstrate my office’s commitment to safeguarding the well-being of our most vulnerable. To the victim’s family and friends, I offer my sincerest condolences and wish them strength as they grieve this senseless, tragic loss. I thank the Westmont Police and Fire Departments for their efforts on this very sad case. I also thank Assistant State’s Attorney Diane Michalak, Supervisor of my office’s Elder Abuse Unit and Assistant State’s Attorney Heather Misura for their work in preparing a strong case against each of these defendants.”

“Despite the passage of time, the Westmont Police Department Investigations Division worked tirelessly on this heartbreaking case, resulting in charges against these two individuals,” Gunther said. “At senior care facilities with a high concentration of elderly residents, such as Cordia, my office takes any allegations of deviance from safety protocols very seriously. It is my hope that today’s charges serve as an important first step in providing the victim’s family some measure of comfort. I would like to thank the Westmont Fire Department for their efforts on this case as well as the DuPage County State’s Attorney’s Office for their legal guidance.”

Mongreig’s next court appearance is scheduled for July 23, 2021, for arraignment in front of Judge Daniel Guerin. Dhall’s next court appearance is scheduled for July 26, 2021 for arraignment in front of Judge Guerin.

Members of the public are reminded that these complaints contain only charges and are not proof of the defendants’ guilt. The defendants are presumed innocent and are entitled to a fair trial in which it is the government’s burden to prove their guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

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