Police arrested the registered nurse after an investigation into suspicious injuries suffered by a medically fragile young child receiving in-home care.
OREGON CITY, OR — An Oregon registered nurse has been arrested after authorities accused him of repeatedly physically abusing a medically fragile young child he had been hired to care for at home, according to Oregon City police and court reporting.
Devante Jermaine Hamilton, 33, was taken into custody Sept. 24 and booked into the Clackamas County Jail on charges of first-degree criminal mistreatment, third-degree assault, harassment and menacing. The Oregon City Police Department said its investigation began Sept. 18 in partnership with the Oregon Department of Human Services after suspicious injuries were observed on the child. The allegations against Hamilton have not been proven in court.
Police initially described the patient as a 1-year-old child with several complex medical conditions that required an in-home caregiver. At a court appearance reported by FOX 12 Oregon, prosecutors provided additional information about the child’s medical needs and said the child depended on extensive medical support. Authorities have not publicly identified the child, and news reports have withheld the child’s name.
According to prosecutors, the child’s parents had trusted Hamilton to provide in-home care several days each week. They began noticing unexplained bruising months before his arrest and sought medical attention for the child. Prosecutors said the family was advised to monitor the care being provided and later installed cameras in the child’s nursery. Those cameras became a key part of the allegations described in court.
Prosecutors said recordings from September showed Hamilton physically mistreating the child while he was responsible for the child’s care. One allegation described in court involved an incident in which the child’s tracheostomy equipment became disconnected during the alleged mistreatment. The reporting did not establish that a court has reached any finding about the allegations, and Hamilton is accused rather than convicted of the offenses.
Oregon City police said investigators believe the alleged abuse occurred on multiple occasions over a period of several months. The department did not provide a detailed public chronology of every alleged incident or disclose the full extent of the child’s injuries. Police said the investigation began after authorities received a report concerning suspicious injuries on Sept. 18.
Hamilton is a registered nurse in Oregon and has worked in various health care environments involving vulnerable patients, according to police. That work history has prompted detectives to investigate whether other people could have information relevant to the case. Police said they believe there may be additional potential victims or witnesses, though the department has not publicly announced any additional confirmed cases involving Hamilton.
The case involves both the Oregon City Police Department and the Oregon Department of Human Services. Police have released limited information about the child because of the patient’s age and the nature of the investigation. Authorities also have not publicly detailed how long Hamilton had been assigned to the family, which health care organizations he previously worked for or whether any employers have taken separate administrative action related to the investigation.
Hamilton was lodged in the Clackamas County Jail following his arrest. Police said the investigation remains active and asked people with information relevant to the case or Hamilton’s previous work with vulnerable patients to contact Oregon City investigators and reference case No. 26-018495. No additional alleged victims had been publicly confirmed by police in the information reviewed for this report.
Author note: Last updated September 26, 2026.