Dozens of White Nurses Turn-Up for Sentencing of Black Sow Who Assaulted a Co-Worker

Oregon Live
February 3, 2015

Dozens of nurses filled a Multnomah County courtroom Friday afternoon to watch the sentencing of a woman who hurt one of their own.

Sierra McDonald, 25, was given five years probation for assaulting a nurse — breaking her arm “like a chicken wing” — and harassing a doctor.  The medical professionals in attendance, many still dressed in blue scrubs, said the case illustrates the need for stricter laws and better enforcement when patients behave badly.

“It happens way more than you think it does, “said Bill Schueler, an emergency room nurse at Legacy Meridian Park Medical Center. “We all know it’s a very bad problem.”

Schueler, immediate past president of the Oregon Emergency Nurses Association, said the association is pressing for the passage of Senate Bill 132. Speaking for the association but not on behalf of Legacy, Schueler said the bill which would make assaulting a healthcare worker providing services in a hospital a Class C felony.  A conviction would carry a maximum five years in prison, a $125,000 fine or both.

Multnomah County Deputy District Attorney Amanda Nadell asked Judge Thomas Ryan to impose a 36-month prison sentence on McDonald, who is currently serving time in the county for a prior conviction.

“The only way to keep the community safe is to incarcerate Miss McDonald,” she said. “This is a woman with substantial anger problems.”