Utah nurse arrested for refusing to draw blood from unconscious patient

Two officers put on leave for Utah nurse confrontation 

Click to expand UP NEXT N. Korea: Hydrogen bomb test successful In a "major announcement" on Korean Central Television, North Korea says it has successfully tested a hydrogen bomb. CNN's Will Ripley reports. Japan says N. Korea tremor was a nuclear test North Korea has conducted a sixth nuclear test, the Japanese government said, a move the United States and its allies in the region are likely to view as a major provocation. Texas Republicans helped chemical plant that exploded lobby against safety ules The French company that says its Houston-area chemical plant is spewing "noxious" smoke—and may explode—successfully pressed federal regulators to delay new regulations designed to improve safety procedures at chemical plants, according to federal records reviewed by International Business Times. UP NEXT Two Salt Lake City police officers have been placed on paid administrative leave after a shocking video of a nurse's arrest sparked nationwide outrage. The Salt Lake City police department announced on Friday that it had put Detective Jeff Payne, the officer who arrested Alex Wubbels, plus a second employee, on leave "pending the results of an investigation." The second employee was not identified, but police spokeswoman Christina Judd confirmed to NBC News on Saturday that he was also a police officer. The incident happened on July 26 after an unconscious patient was brought to the University of Utah Hospital after a road accident that left him badly burned. Payne wanted blood drawn from the patient. Related: Utah Nurse Arrested for Refusing to Give Patient's Blood to Police In 19 minutes of police bodycam footage that was made public, Payne insists Wubbels, who works in the burn unit, draw blood. When Wubbels refuses, citing hospital protocol, Payne becomes increasingly agitated. But Wubbels doesn't back down in the videos, which may have been edited. "No, we're done," Payne says abruptly. "You're under arrest, we're going!" He is then seen forcing her wrists into handcuffs before dragging her to the back of the patrol car. She was later released and was not charged. The patient was a truck driver who was hurt when his vehicle collided with that of another driver who was fleeing police, according to NBC affiliate KSL-TV. The Associated Press, citing police sources, said he is a reserve police officer in Rigby, Idaho. In a written report obtained by the Salt Lake City Tribune, Payne said he needed the blood sample to determine whether the patient had illicit substances in his system at the time of the crash. The patient's name has not been released. The dramatic video prompted widespread condemnation for the officer's actions and apologies from the Salt Lake City police chief and mayor. National Nurses United, the country's largest nursing union, called the encounter "outrageous." Wubbels told NBC News on Friday that the worst part wasn't that she was manhandled by a detective — it was that none of the other officers who were watching intervened. "I was being bullied and nobody was willing to speak up for me," she said. The video was released through Wubbels' attorneys. Prosecutors have called for a criminal investigation into it. NBC News has reached out to Payne for comment. Bodycam footage shows nurse Alex Wubbels arrested for refusing to give a patient's blood sample to police. Wubbels, 41, is a former Olympic athlete who competed as an Alpine skier in 1998 and 2002. She has worked at the hospital since 2009. The inquiry into her case will be run by Salt Lake County's Unified Police, Judd, the Salt Lake City police spokeswoman, said. The district attorney's office will review the findings and determine whether they merit criminal charges. The Supreme Court ruled in 2016 that a blood sample cannot be taken without patient consent or a warrant. Judd said Salt Lake City police updated their blood-draw policy "right away" to match the hospital's, and has already re-trained all remaining officers on the updated policy.  Police also met with hospital officials within 24 hours of the incident to figure out "what we needed to change to make sure it didn't happen again," Judd said. "We have a really strong tie to the nurses that we work with. The police interact with nurses multiple times a day sometimes, and we never want to fracture that relationship," she said. "We took the incident very seriously from the moment we found out about it and have been working really diligently with Wubbels' attorney and ... herself, and trying to make sure that no one in the medical profession ever needs to fear a police officer here," she added. "It's so sad that we've had this rift in our relationship with the medical community and we're working hard to fix that."


2nd Utah police officer put on administrative duty over nurse arrest 

Another cop was placed on administrative leave with pay in the handcuffing of a Utah hospital nurse who refused to take blood from an unconscious patient. Salt Lake City’s mayor and police chief apologized Friday to Utah Hospital nurse, Alex Wubbels, who is seen in body cam video screaming “help me” after Detective Jeff Payne handcuffed and dragged her out of the hospital over her refusal to take the blood sample from the patient, a car-crash victim, on July 26. Related Image Alex Wubbels was dragged out of the hospital in handcuffs after she refused to allow blood to be drawn from an unconscious patient.  (AP) The video has caused outrage since it was released Thursday. Payne was placed on paid leave and prosecutors on Friday announced a a criminal investigation. Police said Friday a second officer was also placed on paid leave. That officer has not been formally identified, but officials have said they also were reviewing the conduct of Payne's boss, a lieutenant who reportedly called for the arrest if Wubbels kept interfering. Mayor Jackie Biskupski said Friday she was alarmed at what the video shows, according to The Salt Lake Tribune. “What I saw is completely unacceptable to the values of my administration and of the values of the Salt Lake City Police Department,” the mayor said, according to the paper. “I extend a personal apology to Ms. Wubbels for what she has been through for simply doing her job.” The video shows Wubbels, an Alpine skier who participated in the 1998 and 2002 Winter Olympics, calmly explaining to Payne why she could not draw blood from the patient. Related Image The Salt Lake City police chief and mayor apologized and changed department policies in line with the guidance Alex Wubbels was following the incident.  (AP) She tells him that blood can only be drawn if the patient is conscious and gives consent or is under arrest. Otherwise, she tells Payne she needs to see a warrant, citing a 2016 U.S. Supreme Court ruling. Payne is then seen threatening to arrest Wubbels. “I either go away with blood in vials or body in tow,” Payne is seen saying. Wubbels is then heard explaining the situation to the supervisor. She tells Payne that her supervisor agrees with her and says to him, “Sir, you’re making a huge mistake because you’re threatening a nurse.” With that, Payne is seen placing Wubbels under arrest and physically shoving her out the door as she screams. The video shows Wubbels yelling, “Help! Stop! I did nothing wrong!” while being handcuffed. Payne was attempting to get a blood sample from William Gray, a reserve officer in Rigby, Idaho, who was burned after being involved in a head-on crash with a pickup truck driver who was fleeing police, the Washington Post reported. The driver died in the incident. Payne wrote in a police report that he grabbed Wubbels and took her outside to avoid causing a "scene" in the emergency room. He said his boss told him to arrest Wubbels if she kept interfering.  The detective left Wubbels in a hot police car for 20 minutes before realizing that blood had already been drawn as part of treatment, her lawyer, Karra Porter, said. Wubbels was released without being arrested. Payne initially remained on duty although he was suspended from blood-draw duties. Christina Judd, a spokesperson for the Salt Lake City Police, said the department was alarmed by what they witnessed in the video. PHOTOSHOPPED KKK HOODS ON HIGH SCHOOL CLASS PICTURE OUTRAGES PARENTS Judd said the department was working to investigate what went wrong and is seeking to repair the “unfortunate rift” it had caused between officers and nurses.  “I can’t sit on this video and not attempt to speak out both to re-educate and inform,” Wubbels told The Salt Lake Tribune. Police departments “need to be having conversations about what is appropriate intervention.” Her bosses have stood by her. "University of Utah Health supports Nurse Wubbles and her decision to focus first and foremost on the care and well-being of her patient,” said Suzanne Winchester, the hospital's media relations manager. “She followed procedures and protocols in this matter and was acting in her patient’s best interest. We have worked with our law enforcement partners on this issue to ensure an appropriate process for moving forward.” The Associated Press contributed to this report.


Utah nurse arrested for refusing to draw blood from unconscious patient 


Salt Lake City police have apologized after an officer handcuffed a hospital nurse who refused to draw blood from an unconscious patient. Police spokeswoman Christina Judd said the agency initiated an internal investigation within hours of the 26 July encounter between Detective Jeff Payne and University of Utah Hospital burn unit nurse Alex Wubbels that was caught on the officer’s body camera. Payne is suspended from blood-draw duties but remains in his role as a detective in the investigations unit. Judd said the assistant police chief had apologized to the hospital and that the department was alarmed by the video. The department was working to investigate what went wrong and seeking to repair an “unfortunate rift”, Judd said. Wubbels showed videos of her arrest at the University of Utah Hospital in Salt Lake City to a news conference on Thursday. Her first duty was to her patients, she said. The footage shows Wubbels dressed in blue medical scrubs and consulting colleagues for several minutes before presenting waiting officers with a printout of the hospital’s policy on sharing blood samples to test for alcohol or drugs. She tells the officers that under the policy, which she says was agreed with the Salt Lake City police department, she would need a warrant or the patient’s consent, or the patient would need to be under arrest. “I’m just trying to do what I’m supposed to do, that’s all,” Wubbels says, noting that the officers are meeting none of the criteria. A hospital supervisor, speaking through Wubbels’ cellphone, tells the officers they are “making a huge mistake” in threatening a nurse. Payne becomes angered and grabs at Wubbels. “We’re done,” he says. “You’re under arrest.“ He then drags Wubbels outside as she screams. “Somebody help me!” she says as Payne handcuffs her hands behind her. “You’re assaulting me! Stop! I’ve done nothing wrong.” The patient was a truck driver who arrived at the hospital comatose after being badly burned in a crash with a vehicle driven by someone fleeing police, the Deseret News reported. Karra Porter, Wubbels’ lawyer, said the nurse followed the law and the police were wrong. The University of Utah issued a statement saying it supported Wubbels “and her decision to focus first and foremost on the care and well-being of her patient”. The hospital said it had created a new policy with police that would preclude officers from arriving at patient care units in person for blood. Judd, the police spokeswoman, said: “We want to know where something went wrong, what we didn’t know, and why we didn’t know it.” The agency has met with hospital administration to ensure it does not happen again and to repair their relationship, Judd said, adding: “There’s a strong bond between fire, police and nurses because they all work together to help save lives, and this caused an unfortunate rift that we are hoping to repair immediately.” Porter said Payne left Wubbels in a hot police car for 20 minutes before realizing that blood had already been drawn as part of treatment. Wubbels was not booked or charged. “This has upended her worldview in a way,” Porter said. “She just couldn’t believe this could happen.”