Melissa Rose Knutson, Readstown, Wisconsin nurse sentenced to 18 months jail after found to have had improper sexual relations with male patient after admitting to falsely accusing man of sexually assaulting her.
A Wisconsin nurse who admitted to having sex with a former patient but only to then falsely accuse the victim of assaulting her has been sentenced to jail time.
Melissa Rose Knutson was sentenced to 18 months in prison and two years of public supervision after pleading guilty to misconduct in public office.
Knutson, of Readstown, who worked as a mental health nurse, was treating the man, who was a drug court participant, when she ‘repeatedly’ engaged in sex with him, prosecutors said.
Caretaker nurse relents and admits abusing her position of trust, authority and power
The caretaker’s actions were reported to the Wisconsin Department of Safety and Professional Services for having an inappropriate relationship with a patient under her care.
Knutson in turn alleged that the man had sexually assaulted her.
Investigators found evidence that included ‘consensual’ text messages, emails, pictures, along with Snapchat and Facebook messages.
Knutson eventually admitted lying to investigators and said she did it out of fear of facing the consequences of her actions, prosecutors said.
She pleaded no contest to misconduct and resisting/obstructing an officer.
The incidents occurred between June and September 2022, WXOW reported.
Remorse described as being a ‘mile wide and an inch deep’
Three more charges of second-degree sexual assault by an employee of a child welfare agency or care/service residential facility were dismissed but read in, records showed.
Judge Paul Curran called her actions ‘despicable’ and an ’embarrassment to nurses everywhere,’ People reported.
He also described the former medic’s remorse as being ‘a mile wide and an inch deep.’
‘The harm caused by Ms. Knutson was deep and significant,’ District Attorney Kevin Croninger said.
‘Not only did she violate the sacred trust between a patient and a nurse, but she compounded that by falsely accusing the patient of sexual assault.
‘This situation is particularly egregious given the patient in this situation was a participant in drug court.’
Knutson had been tasked with giving the patient Vivitrol, a substance abuse drug, while he was in her care.
Her lie was discovered after the patient’s text messages revealed she had initiated the sexual relationship.
She had threatened to deny it if it was ever found out, prosecutors said.
Knutson will be supervised for two years after serving 18 months in jail.
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