A former Puyallup emergency room nurse who contracted Hepatitis C and is suspected of exposing at least two patients to the virus was arrested at the Canadian Border Thursday. She was booked into jail Friday on two counts of second-degree assault.
According to probable cause documents obtained by KING 5, detectives believe the woman "...intentionally contaminated medicine or another substance with her own blood; she then administered the medicine or other substance to a patient."
"We knew she had travel plans," said Puyallap Police Captain Ryan Portmann. "We worked in advance with border patrol in the event she tried to cross the border."
However, Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department officials say test results have not tied the former Good Samaritan Hospital nurse to the two patients. It raises the question of how the cases could be connected.
"A person who is vested in saving people's lives, sticking themselves with a needle and putting it in someone else. Imagine that," said attorney Bryan Hershman, the nurse's attorney. "That's preposterous!"
Hershman said his client was at the border for a pre-planned vacation to Guam with her boyfriend, not to run from the law.
He admits his client was suffering from stress on the job, and stole the drugs.
"It got to her and she did something stupid, narcotic wise," said Hershman.
But she didn't infect the patients, he says. And didn't test positive for Hepatitis C.
"They asked her to come in for a blood test because they wanted to know if she had Hep c. She said 'I'm in.' She showed up, gave blood, Came back negative. Negative," he said.
Yet Tacoma-Pierce County Health said her second round of testing showed she likely once had an acute form of the disease. But the results do not connect her to the two patients.
"There is not a genetic link between the nurse and the patients," said Nigel Turner, the county's Director of Communicable Diseases. "That testing is not available to do with the particular genetic material that we have."
Good Samaritan Hospital said Monday it was sending letters and offering free testing to some 2,600 patients who may have been exposed over an eight-month period. As of Friday morning, 700 patients had been tested. While some are testing positive for Hepatitis C, Turner declined to say how many.
The investigation began after two ER patients tested positive in December. Good Samaritan Hospital said Monday they learned the nurse was stealing narcotics and had treated both patients. The nurse since resigned, and the case was referred to police.
Late Friday, a Puyallup man in his 50's, who tested positive for hepatitis last week, filed a lawsuit against Good Samaritan Hospital. His attorneys claim the hospital had received pateint complaints about the nurse last year, but did not act on them.
Puyallup Police said they don't know when the nurse's trip was planned, but they don't believe that she was trying to flee and said she had a round-trip ticket.
Police are urging the 2,600 patients who receive the letters from Good Samaritan Hospital to get tested, not only because it's a health issue, but because they could become part of the criminal case if they test positive.
Hepatitis C is commonly spread through sharing of needles, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, but the hospital said Monday it could not 100 percent confirm how the patients were infected or if the nurse was the source.
The hospital said the nurse worked in the ER from August 4, 2017, and March 23, 2018.
Health officials also said Friday that more patients have tested positive for Hepatitis C, but they did not say how many nor did they say if the new cases are tied to the others. About 1,000 people in Pierce County test positive each year for Hepatitis C.
The hospital stresses that 70 percent of people with Hepatitis C -- a liver infection -- do not show symptoms, but leaving it untreated can result in serious long-term health problems. Symptoms can include stomach pain, vomiting, or yellow eyes or skin.
Patients who think they might have been in the hospital when the nurse was working can call (253) 403-1739 to see if their name is on the list of 2,600 potential victims.
A list of the shifts the nurse worked, along with more information about Hepatitis C can be found here.
KING 5 News typically does not name suspects until they are formally charged by prosecutors.
