Utah Nurse Arrested For Doing Her Job Reaches $500,000 Settlement

The Utah nurse who was roughly arrested after refusing to let an officer draw blood from an unconscious patient has reached a settlement with the city and the university that owns the hospital for $500,000. 

Police body camera footage of Alex Wubbels' arrest went viral after the nurse refused to allow an officer draw blood from an unconscious patient. According to the hospital's policy, law enforcement cannot draw a patient's blood unless that person is under arrest. 

"This is something you guys agreed to with this hospital," she explains in the video which was recorded on August 31st. However, the explanation wasn't enough for Detective Jeff Payne, the officer recording. The video shows him forcing Wubbels outside, handcuffing her as she screams she had done nothing wrong. 

The viral footage drew widespread condemnation about the Salt Lake City police officer's use of force and became a focal point for the larger issue of police tactics. 

Last month, the Salt Lake Police Department fired the arresting officer, Detective Jeff Payne, and demoted the officer's watch commander, Lt. James Tracey to the rank of officer. Both men have appealed their punishment according to the Salt Lake Tribune

"We all deserve to know the truth and the truth comes when you see the actual raw footage and that's what happened in my case," Wubbels said at a news conference for reporters on Tuesday. "No matter how truthful I was in telling my story, it was nothing compared to what people saw and the visceral reaction people experienced when watching the footage of the experience that I went through."

Wubbels says she will use a portion of the money to help people get access to police body camera footage, as well as donate to the Utah Nurses Association. 


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