A Wisconsin judge denounced a nurse who had sex with her patient — and later admitted to wrongly accusing them of sexual assault — as “an embarrassment to nurses everywhere” during her sentencing hearing.
The woman, Melissa Knutson, was sentenced on Friday, February 27, to one year and six months in prison in connection with her alleged sexual assault of a patient who had been participating in drug court, the Monroe County District Attorney’s Office announced in a Monday, March 2, news release.
Knutson, 30, was accused of having sex with the patient multiple times while she was working as a nurse in Monroe County. Police did not indicate if the victim was a man or a woman.
Ahead of sentencing, Judge Paul Curran found Knutson guilty of misconduct in a public office and obstructing an officer after she pleaded no contest to both charges, according to the district attorney’s office.
For the misconduct charge, Curran sentenced Knutson to two years of extended supervision in addition to her 18-month sentence, the district attorney’s office said. She was also handed a concurrent sentence of 180 days in jail for the charge of obstructing an officer.
Curran described Knutson’s actions as “despicable” in court.
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In a statement to Us Weekly on Tuesday, March 3, Knutson’s defense attorney, Meredith Davis, said “Melissa Knutson is more than a mugshot,” adding that she “is a mother, wife, daughter, and friend.”
“As a nurse Melissa cared for the sickest people in her community for years with compassion and professionalism,” Davis added. “She was praised by coworkers, supervisors, and patients’ families for always lending a listening ear and trying to understand the whole individual, not just the medical condition.”
According to the district attorney’s office, someone ultimately reported Knutson to the Wisconsin Department of Safety and Professional Services because of her alleged sexual intercourse with her patient.
Afterward, Knutson claimed that she had been sexually assaulted by them, according to authorities.
This was treated as a serious accusation by police, according to Monroe County District Attorney Kevin Croninger.
During the investigation, officers, however, ultimately found evidence that Knutson had been lying, Croninger said.
Knutson later “acknowledged that she was not sexually assaulted and instead fabricated that allegation to avoid consequences for her sex acts with the patient/participant,” the district attorney’s office said.
In a statement, Croninger said, “The harm caused by Ms. Knutson was deep and significant.”
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“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,” Croninger added. “This situation is particularly egregious given the patient in this situation was a participant in drug court.”
Davis told Us that Knutson’s patient allegedly “manipulated and threatened her to the point that she sought and received a restraining order against him.”
Davis also said that when Knutson “went to the police for help the investigation quickly turned against her…”
“We are shocked by this cruel and disproportionate outcome for a first-time, nonviolent offender and further by the sentencing court’s crude and unnecessary sexual innuendo during the hearing, which undermined both the dignity of the Court and women’s lived experiences with coercive control in relationships,” Davis added.
Croninger ultimately commended Curran for the sentence issued to Knutson.
“Judge Curran was extremely concerned about the significant level of harm caused by Ms. Knutson and his sentence reflected that significant level of harm,” Croninger said.
