Airway Heights nanny arrested after baby died in her care

A 59-year-old nanny was arrested Thursday months after a 4-month-old died in her care.

Sharon J. Arger faces one count of second-degree murder, according to a news release from the Airway Heights Police Department.

Police responded Nov. 2 to a report of an unconscious infant at an Airway Heights home.

First responders provided lifesaving measures and rushed the boy to Providence Sacred Heart Children’s Hospital.

The baby had been on life support for about a week when he died on Nov. 8.

The Spokane County Medical Examiner ruled the boy’s death a homicide last week after “extensive examination,” according to the news release.

A warrant was issued for Arger, and she was arrested Thursday.

Arger was awarded more than half a million dollars in 1995 by a federal jury after they found she was illegally fired by an insurance company after developing a neurological disease.

Her reputation was at the center of that case, according to stories in The Spokesman-Review at the time.

The insurance company said she was incompetent, arrogant and angry as an employee, which led to her firing, while others said she was a soft-spoken, benevolent soul who was fired because of a disease that left a bubble in her spinal cord. Arger won out in court.

In 2018, Arger pleaded guilty to felony identity theft and was sentenced to 40 hours of community service.