ER nurse suspected of violating unconscious patients

A registered nurse assigned to the emergency room at Carson Tahoe Hospital was arrested on Valentine's Day for allegedly violating heavily sedated female patients.

Jason Laurie, 28, is being held in the Carson City Jail on felony suspicion of sexual assault and two gross misdemeanor charges of open and gross lewdness, according to Carson City Sheriff's Department Chief Deputy of Operations Steve Schuette.

CTH Safety and Security Coordinator Hank Lucas called deputies at about 11 a.m. Friday to report that a patient said she had been fondled by an emergency room nurse while she was heavily medicated. She later identified the nurse as Laurie, a Gardnerville man who has worked at CTH for two years. The assaults reportedly occurred in a large observation ward with 8 beds divided by privacy curtains.

A week prior, on Feb. 7, another victim had reported she may have been fondled while sedated.

"She said she didn't know if something had happened but wanted to report it in case something had," said Gordon Hutting, head of CTH risk management. "We started our own internal investigation but there was no corroboration for the first allegations."

The first victim was more concerned about her underlying medical concerns, Hutting said. Neither victim was identified.

After he heard details of the second allegation on Friday, Hutting called the sheriff's department. "I said to myself, 'We need some professional investigators.'"

Detectives contacted Laurie and interviewed him. Detective P. Church said that he admitted to inappropriately touching the women. She said she had a lead on another possible case.

Laurie, who Hutting said was hired at CTH directly out of nursing school, was placed under arrest at 8 p.m. Friday in the 900 block of East Musser Street. He is being held on $55,000 bail.

Hutting described him as extremely cooperative during the investigation. "He had a clean personnel file and his license is current and in good standing," he said.

Hospital staff are left reeling at the situation.

"We're devastated," said Richard Linkul, CTH director of marketing. "We're in the healing business. Our focus is on excellence."

An investigation into this case is ongoing.

You Can Help

Anyone with questions or concerns regarding this case should call the sheriff's department investigations office at: 887-2020 ext. 1400