Utah Nurse Arrest Video: Salt Lake City Detective Feels Firing Went Too Far, Lawyer Says

SALT LAKE CITY, UT — A now-fired Salt Lake City police detective caught on video roughly handcuffing a nurse and removing her from a hospital because she refused to allow him to draw blood from an unconscious patient is appealing his termination, his lawyer said Friday. Detective Jeff Payne asked to appear before a city employment board to argue that his termination went too far and happened because the body-camera footage drew widespread attention and criticism online, lawyer Greg Skordas said.

In the video, Payne arrests nurse Alex Wubbels on July 26. She explained that under the hospital's policy she needed to see a warrant or have the patient's consent to take blood for a crash investigation. Payne had neither, but he insisted. The dispute ended with him dragging her outside as she screamed that she'd done nothing wrong.

Chief Mike Brown said he was "deeply troubled" by Payne's actions that brought disrepute to the department and called into question his ability to do his job, according to a letter released when the detective was terminated Tuesday. (For more information on the nurse video and other Salt Lake City stories, subscribe to Patch to receive daily newsletters and breaking news alerts. If you have an iPhone, click here to get the free Patch iPhone app.)

Payne has worked for Salt Lake City Police for 27 years. He was twice disciplined, once for sexually harassing a co-worker in 2013. But he also earned commendations for solving burglary cases and being shot in the shoulder during a traffic stop in 1998.

The dustup also brought a demotion for Payne's supervisor, Lt. James Tracy, who told the detective over the phone to arrest Wubbels if she didn't cooperate. He's also shown on video continuing to push for the blood draw as she sat cuffed in a police car. She was later released without charge.

Tracy also plans to appeal his demotion to officer and will file within the required five-day window, his attorney Ed Brass said.

Photo credit: Salt Lake City Police Department/Courtesy of Karra Porter via AP