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Office of the Attorney General
Former Nurse Pleads Guilty in Connection with Death of Patient
Attorney General Jack Conway today announced a plea agreement was reached in the case of a Kentucky nurse formerly employed by Hurstborne Care Center in Jefferson County, Ky. Stacy Harrison, of Henderson, Ky. was indicted in June 2008 on charges related to the abuse and neglect of a patient under his care. Harrison pled guilty in Jefferson Circuit Court today to knowing neglect of a vulnerable adult under KRS 209.990(2), a Class C felony.
Under the terms of the plea agreement, Harrison will receive a five-year sentence and he agreed to forfeit his nursing license and to never again apply to be a nurse in Kentucky or any other state.
On March 8, 2008, and continuing through the early morning hours of March 9, 2008, Harrison was on duty at Hurstborne Care Center and failed to respond to Abram Lipsky, a vulnerable adult, when he was vomiting and showing other signs of distress. While Lipsky was in distress, Harrison stayed at the nursing station and sent text messages and ate snacks instead of responding to the patient, who later stopped breathing. Harrison did not attempt to resuscitate Lipsky, even though the victim’s family had written his wishes were to be resuscitated.
Investigators from the Office of the Attorney General, Medicaid Fraud and Abuse Division, investigated this case after it was referred from the Jefferson County offices of the Department of Community Based Services. Prosecutors from the Medicaid Fraud Division handled the case at the request of the Jefferson County Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office.
"I am pleased to see that through the hard work of our investigators and prosecutors, this nurse, who was trusted to care for this patient, was brought to justice and will never again be able to neglect another patient," said General Conway. "I will continue my commitment to proactively investigate and prosecute instances of abuse and neglect."
Sentencing is scheduled for November 6, 2009 at 9:30 in Jefferson Circuit Court, Division 7.
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