Alex Wubbels was aggressively arrested on July 26 after refusing a demand from Officer Jeff Payne to extract a blood sample from an unconscious patient. Wubbels was not charged with any crime. She works as a nurse at Utah’s University Hospital. She’s also a two time national alpine ski champion. Wubbels is even a former Olympic athlete, who competed at the 1998 and 2002 Winter Olympics under her maiden name.
In the video, Wubbels can be heard screaming out, “help me” and “you’re assaulting me.”
Officer Payne was given orders to arrest Nurse Wubbels for interfering with an investigation. However, in 2016, the U.S. Supreme Court that the Constitution does not allow unwarranted blood tests. As a result of the unlawful arrest, Payne has been placed on paid leave and has been taken off the department’s blood sample duty.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y19eF-GnWvw
Mayor J. Biskupski condemned/apologized the actions of the officer who arrested Nurse Wubbels.
What I saw on the video last night is completely unacceptable. @ChiefMikeBrown & I apologize for these actions. https://t.co/N62TtQlHdr
— SLC Mayor Erin Mendenhall (@slcmayor) September 1, 2017
According her lawyer, Karra Porter, Wubbels was placed in a hot police car for 20 minutes before realizing that blood had already been drawn from the patient as a result of treatment. Wubbels was soon released without any charges.
Christina Judd, a spokesperson for the Salt Lake City Police, said the department was alarmed by what they saw in the video.
