By Patrick Mcardle THE RUTLAND HERALD
A local woman was charged with a felony after police say she struck a nurse in the stomach at Rutland Regional Medical Center on June 18.
The nurse was about eight months pregnant at the time.
Brandee Richards, 49, of Pine Street, pleaded not guilty July 11 to a felony count of aggravated assault on a protected professional and attempting to cause serious bodily injury and a misdemeanor count of simple assault on a protected professional.
Richards was released without bail but ordered not to have contact with the nurse who reported the alleged assault.
The charges against Richards are based on an affidavit written by Cpl. Eliza Heter, of the Rutland City Police Department, who said she was dispatched to the Rutland hospital around 9:15 p.m. on June 18.
A security officer for the hospital told police a nurse had allegedly been assaulted by Richards while staff were trying to discharge the woman.
The nurse was being examined by an emergency department physician when Heter arrived. Heter said she could see the nurse was pregnant.
The nurse, who said she was about 32 weeks pregnant, said she had been assisting co-workers in discharging Richards, however Richards said she did not want to be discharged. The nurse said staff had spoken with Richards to assure her they had found her a place to stay and a ride to get to that location.
The nurse said she was in Richards’ room, trying to persuade Richards to leave, when Richards allegedly got up, punched her in the stomach and tackled her onto the hospital bed.
She said her co-workers helped get Richards under control.
The nurse said the pain she felt was a three or four on a scale of one to 10, but said she was concerned about the effect of the alleged assault on her baby. However, she said her examination after the incident detected a heartbeat.
While investigating the alleged incident, Heter said Richards told her she was not leaving the hospital.
Heter said Richards told her she didn’t want to stay at the location where the hospital had arranged for her to stay.
According to Heter, Richards continued to yell at police and the hospital security staff.
Heter said Richards had a large canvas bag with her belongings and said she threw it at one of the members of the hospital’s security staff.
Police escorted Richards from the hospital and cited her to appear in court.
In an email statement, Gerianne Smart, speaking on behalf of RRMC, said the hospital supports its staff in cases of actual or threatened violence.
“Violence against health care workers is unacceptable. It is also against the law in Vermont. Rutland Regional has taken several proactive steps over the past two years to protect our staff and will continue to do everything we can to keep them safe,” she said.
If convicted of the felony charge, Richards could be sentenced to up to 16 years in prison. If convicted of the misdemeanor charge, she could be sentenced to up to two years in prison.
patrick.mcardle @rutlandherald.com
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