Alarming body camera footage shows nurse being shoved, handcuffed for refusing to allow police to draw blood from her patient without a warrant
A University of Utah Hospital nurse was roughly grabbed, threatened, and handcuffed by a police detective for refusing to allow him to take blood from a patient without a warrant. The patient was unconscious and unable to give consent, The Washington Post reports. Alarming body camera footage from Detective Jeff Payne of the Salt Lake City police apparently shows nurse Alex Wubbels calmly explaining the law to Payne and getting her supervisor on the phone to back her up.
"Sir, you're making a huge mistake because you're threatening a nurse," Wubbels' supervisor told Payne on speakerphone.
Then "Payne snapped," the Post writes. "He seized hold of the nurse, shoved her out of the building, and cuffed her hands behind her back. A bewildered Wubbels screamed 'help me' and 'you're assaulting me' as the detective forced her into an unmarked car and accused her of interfering with an investigation."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Wubbels' patient was a truck driver who was hit head-on by a fleeing suspect and severely burned in the crash. The blood sample was reportedly requested in order to check for illicit substances and protect the driver, who is not accused of committing a crime. Payne, a police phlebotomist, was instructed to arrest the nurse if she didn't let him draw the sample.
Wubbels was not charged, and she stands by protecting her patient's legal rights. "A blood draw, it just gets thrown around like it's some simple thing," she said. "But your blood is your blood. That's your property." Read the full report at The Washington Post.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.
-
DOJ demands changes at 'abhorrent' Atlanta jail
Speed Read Georgia's Fulton County Jail subjects inmates to 'unconstitutional' conditions, the 16-month investigation found
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
China tries to bury deadly car attack
Speed Read An SUV drove into a crowd of people in Zhuhai, killing and injuring dozens — but news of the attack has been censored
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Menendez brothers may go free in LA prosecutor plan
Speed Read Prosecutors are asking for the brothers to be resentenced for the 1989 murder of their parents
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Abercrombie ex-CEO charged with sex crimes
Speed Read Mike Jeffries ran the brand during its heyday from 1992 to 2014
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Trump criminal trial starts with rulings, reminder
Speed Read The first day of his historic trial over hush money payments was mostly focused on jury selection
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Parents of school shooter sentenced to 10-15 years
Speed Read Jennifer and James Crumbley are the first parents to be convicted in a US mass shooting
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Unlicensed dealers and black market guns
Speed Read 68,000 illegally trafficked guns were sold in a five year period, said ATF
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Bankman-Fried gets 25 years for fraud
Speed Read Former "crypto king" Sam Bankman-Fried will report to federal prison
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published