Utah Officer Fired Over Controversial Arrest of Nurse Is Suing for $1.5 Million

Jeff Payne, the former Utah detective fired over his controversial arrest of a hospital nurse, is suing Salt Lake City for wrongful termination and seeks $1.5 million and wants his job back.

Last year, Payne was recorded arresting nurse Alex Wubbels after she informed him that hospital policy didn’t allow for a blood draw without a warrant. The patient was Reserve Rigby Police Officer Bill Gray, who was injured in a car crash.

“She was doing her job,” he told the Salt Lake Tribune. “I was doing my job. And unfortunately, it conflicted. And I am the one who bears most of the burden for it.”

“I’m working at a job that pays a little above minimum wage and still trying to keep my household together. My life is destroyed because of this and I don’t know how many years it’s going to take to have some sort of peace,” said Payne of the settlement, Fox13 reported.

Jeff Payne, the former Utah detective fired over his controversial arrest of a hospital nurse, is suing Salt Lake City for wrongful termination and seeks $1.5 million and wants his job back. (Salt Lake Police)

When she refused, he eventually put her in cuffs and placed her in a police car. Charges weren’t filed against her.

“People think I just walked in and lost it,” said Payne of the video. “They wanted blood from this person just to verify that he was not impaired in any way,” said Payne, Fox13 reported.

“If I couldn’t get the blood draw at that point, he was going to order me to arrest her for interfering with a criminal investigation. I sat in the waiting room for about an hour and a half with no word from anyone,” Payne told the station, referring to his supervisor, Lt. James Tracy.

Later, Tracy told the nurse that if she prevented Payne from withdrawing blood, he would order Payne to arrest her.

“She says she’s just doing what her bosses tell her to do and I acknowledged that and said that’s what I’m doing,” said Payne.