The police detective in Utah who arrested a nurse after she refused to draw blood from a patient at his request---captured in a headline-grabbing body camera video---was fired from his part-time job.
Gold Cross Ambulance, in a statement, said Jeff Payne was fired “as a part-time paramedic effective immediately.”
It said, “Although Jeff was not working for Gold Cross Ambulance at the time of the incident, we take his inappropriate remarks regarding patient transports seriously.”
“We acknowledge those concerned individuals who have contacted us regarding this incident and affirm our commitment to serving all members of the community with kindness and respect. We will continue to maintain our values of outstanding patient-focused care, safety, and the complete trust of the communities we serve,” the statement reads.
Initially, he was placed on paid leave from the Salt Lake Police Department for his role in the arrest of the nurse, Alex Wubbels, in July. The body camera footage was released last week.
Wubbels, as seen in the video, refused to draw blood from a patient following a fatal car crash. Payne is then heard saying, “We’re done” several times before he arrests her as she screamed. She was then held against a wall and placed in his police cruiser.
According to Fox13, Payne was heard saying that he would bring homeless people to the University of Utah Hospital, where Wubbels worked.
“I wonder how this will affect my Gold Cross job?” Payne asks in the footage. Another police officer asks, “Do you work up here?”
“I bring patients here,” Payne responds. “Yeah, they’re not going to be very happy,” the officer said.
“I'll bring them all the transients and take good patients elsewhere,” Payne is then heard saying in the video.
Payne had worked for Gold Star since 1983.
University of Utah Hospital CEO Gordon Crabtree said they’ve implemented changes to their procedures.
Wubbels, a former alpine skier who competed in the 1998 and 2002 Winter Olympics, told The Associated Press that she was thankful for the support she’s received.
“This cop bullied me. He bullied me to the utmost extreme, and nobody stood in his way. And that should have originally been the job of security and the university police,” Wubbels said. “And they decided that when they showed up, they didn’t want to play for my team, and so they essentially put on the other guys’ jersey.”
Wubbels wasn’t charged with a crime and hasn’t filed a lawsuit. Her attorneys said it’s a possibility, however.
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