A state nursing commission suspended a former Puyallup emergency room nurse Tuesday suspected of exposing at least two patients to Hepatitis C.
The former Good Samaritan Hospital nurse, 31, cannot work as a registered nurse in Washington state until the charges are resolved.
Police also released the nurse, who was arrested last Thursday at the Canadian border on two counts of second-degree assault.
Puyallup police say she was released from the Pierce County Jail following a review from prosecutors and investigators. Police say the case remains active and ongoing.
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," Puyallup Police Captain Ryan Portmann said Friday. "We worked in advance with border patrol in the event she tried to cross the border."
The two patients who tested positive for Hepatitis C received painkiller injections from the nurse last December.
The patients were determined to have been infected by the same source, but the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department has not been determined if the former nurse was the source.
"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 painkillers from the hospital.
"It got to her and she did something stupid, narcotic-wise," said Hershman.
But she didn't infect the patients, he says.
She also allegedly told investigators she was told she had Hepatitis C “several years ago” while trying to give blood. She was told to see a doctor, but did not, according to the investigation.
Hershman says his client has never been told she had Hepatitis C, nor did she 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.
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.
Late Friday, a Puyallup man in his 50s, who tested positive for hepatitis last week, filed a lawsuit against Good Samaritan Hospital. His attorneys claim the hospital had received patient complaints about the nurse last year but did not act on them.
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.
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.
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