Nurse had sex with patient, then accused him of sex assault
· Toronto Sun
A Wisconsin nurse is in jail after she had sex with a drug-court patient — and then falsely claimed he sexually assaulted her.
Melissa Knutson pleaded guilty to misconduct in public office and obstructing an officer after she engaged in sex with the patient while she was working for the Monroe County Drug Court in 2022, the New York Post reported.
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When authorities became aware of the sex acts, she initially accused the patient of sexually assaulting her, prosecutors said.
Knutson’s job was to give the patient Vivitrol — a drug used to treat drug and alcohol dependence — and claimed she stayed quiet about the alleged assault for fear of him harming her or her family. However, text messages from the patient revealed that Knutson initiated the relationship and vowed to deny everything if they were caught. She later came clean about lying to avoid more consequences.
“The harm caused by Ms. Knutson was deep and significant. Not only did she violate the sacred trust between a patient and a nurse, but she compounded that by falsely accusing the patient of sexual assault,” District Attorney Kevin Croninger said in a statement. “This situation is particularly egregious given the patient in this situation was a participant in drug court.”
‘Embarrassment to nurses everywhere’
Judge Paul Curran, who sentenced Knutson, called her conduct “despicable” and said she was “an embarrassment to nurses everywhere,” People.com reported.
The judge further said he believed Knutson’s expressed remorse was “a mile wide and an inch deep.”
“The harm caused by Ms. Knutson was deep and significant. Not only did she violate the sacred trust between a patient and a nurse, but she compounded that by falsely accusing the patient of sexual assault,” Croninger said. “This situation is particularly egregious given the patient in this situation was a participant in drug court.”
Knutson was sentenced to 18 months in jail and two years of extended supervision.