Hillsborough: Nurse cleared in denial of pill

TAMPA - A jail nurse denied an inmate emergency birth control because of a mistake, not because of religious objections, a sheriff's official said Thursday.

Hillsborough sheriff's Col. David Parrish called the situation a "break in communication," emphatically denying that religious beliefs about Plan B, the so-called "morning after pill" played any role in the nurse's decision.

His statement Thursday was the first substantive response by the Sheriff's Office since the incident became public four days ago.

The controversy surrounds the arrest of a 21-year-old University of South Florida student who was jailed after she reported being raped at Gasparilla.

At the Orient Road jail, the woman was denied an important second dose of Plan B to prevent pregnancy. Her attorney, Vic Moore, says a nurse refused for religious reasons.

But a three-day internal investigation by the Sheriff's Office and medical provider Armor Correctional Health Services concluded the nurse was not authorized to give her the pill.

When the woman was booked into the jail, a police officer told deputies about the medication.

But the woman was just one of 166 people booked into jail on the busy Saturday, and another deputy picked up the medication, unaware of the unusual circumstances, Parrish said.

Medications brought to the jail by inmates must be taken to medical professionals, who verify it before dispensing anything. In this case, that didn't happen, Parrish said.

He refused to go into more details about the woman's jail stay, saying Moore threatened legal action. Moore declined to confirm that.

"Our story remains consistent," said Moore's wife, Alice G. Moore, who spoke on his behalf. "We do believe there are witnesses - it was in a jail after all. It is unfortunate that they refused to take responsibility."

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by david	02/04/07 11:17 AM
i'm a nurse. even though it is an over the counter med, if a nurse is administering a med it must first be ordered by md. even tylenol. It must be visually identified and confirmed. saving a dime in healthcare cost caused this problem. not the rn

by Rob	02/03/07 02:24 AM
Unaware of the unusual circumstances, so this is the first reported rape case in the Tampa Bay area. Just like law enforcement, tell us to take responsiblity for your actions, while they continue making excuses for their errors!

by Anthony	02/02/07 10:49 PM
Oh the Monday morning quarterbacks are out in force here, aren't they. We have no idea what and wasn't said. The media makes up their own stories and the we run with it. It's all pathetic

by Darlene	02/02/07 06:46 PM
Time to get rid of a Sheriff and staff who cannot treat this extraordinary circumstance with the gravity and attention it deserved. What if this happened to YOUR daughter? The investigation sounds fishier than Tampa Bay.

by paul	02/02/07 05:24 PM
if you recall, the initial newspaper article quoted the arresting officer, who said she notified several jail personnel of the circumstances. now for this spokesperson to say they were unaware is completely contradictory and pathetic.

by JOE	02/02/07 04:13 PM
INTERNAL AFFAIRS, WHAT YOU SHOULD WRITE. IS THE GOOD OLD BOYS CLUB. TO SERVE AND PROTECT THE SHERIFF DEPARTMENT.

by scott	02/02/07 03:55 PM
The first investigation into the beating death of that kid in the "boot camp" found those deputies innocent as well. Public outrage is the only thing that forced another investigation. Well, if thats how they want it..they get it!

by scott	02/02/07 03:52 PM
Why are we surprised? The sherriffs office is out to cover their tracks. They have always been like that, and they always will be. Privatization is institutional corruption. We had better wake up while they still pretend to care about us.

by Joe	02/02/07 03:27 PM
Heather, a doctor's auth is needed because medication brought in by inmates has to be verified, as it might not be what they claim it is. That doesn't excuse the fact that they didn't actually verify and administer the medication, of course.

by Bean Bag	02/02/07 02:55 PM
Next they will be telling you she was never even locked up. She was a invited guest and was free to go at anytime. Oh yea and that pill thing she made that up to get some sympathy. No witnesses so it didn't happen. It's complex.were very busy.bla bla

by tim	02/02/07 02:55 PM
We don't attend Gasparilla because it's so rife with "over-eager" police officers of every stripe. You'd think that with this incredible waste of money "protecting the citizens" they'd find something important to do - like track down a rapist.

by jack s	02/02/07 01:59 PM
Religion has nothing to do with incompetence. The nurse has been "cleared" of nothing. This is like saying as long as she violated the vics civil rights for some reason other than "religious" its OK. Fire the nurse and her weaseling supervisors.

by Paul	02/02/07 01:34 PM
It was a busy saturday and we were unaware of the unusual circumstances... surely the spin doctors can come up with something better than this. As usual the person in authority is cleared/did you really expect anything else from Fla. law enforcement?

by paul	02/02/07 12:12 PM
typical results when outsorced prison/jail contractors pay $8.00 per hour for a $20.00 position.Greed is what ultimately is the culprit here. You get what you pay for. Kind of ironic that on Gasparilla Day she was raped. Cancel this "pirate" day. Sad

by Eileen	02/02/07 11:54 AM
Wow! I wonder what would have happened if it was a life and death medication, like heart medicine. I do not buy the explanation at all! And people lik Russ scare me! She has an atty to get her out of jail!

by Jen	02/02/07 11:34 AM
Russ, that is an ignorant statement. sure, a few women have made false claims. But the actions of those and the non-believers and the "you dressed sexy so you wanted it" people are what make rape a largely unreported crime.

by Valery	02/02/07 11:33 AM
Denying an inmate an important dosage of medicine needed to avoid a possible rape pregnancy?! And then trying to re-invent the truth about WHY this medication was not dispensed?! Ludicrous! bad if not, worse. Orient Road Jail staff must be made to s

by Suzie	02/02/07 11:07 AM
Look at the scary statement by Russ below. There are a lot of men whose first reaction is to doubt rape victims. What reason does he have to doubt she was raped?

by Rich	02/02/07 10:30 AM
Religion rules in Tampa...look how they treat the gays!

by Heather	02/02/07 10:28 AM
Plan B is considered OTC therefore not needing "authorization" from an MD to deliver. Wrong answer, sheriff's office!

by Gypsy	02/02/07 09:50 AM
what then, is the function of a jail nurse if not to give medication ?

by dreaming	02/02/07 09:39 AM
Since when have you ever known law enforcement to admit a screwup? An internal investigation finds the nurse did not err. Wow. And that just so happens to be one major factor on which a potential huge liability rests.

by Irene	02/02/07 09:24 AM
3 day investigation to blame the booking system. I love this statement (unaware of the unusual circumstances) wow they were unaware that she was raped!!! Nice. Florida finest at work! To serve and protect us, just unaware of whatò019s going on.

by Donna	02/02/07 09:08 AM
Not a surprising outcome- the "good ole boys" carry on. Someone who is impartial needs to review this case.

by Beth	02/02/07 08:19 AM
If the nurse was "not authorized" to give the victim the pill, then why didn't she get someone who WAS!

by lizzie	02/02/07 08:18 AM
What religion is the nurse?

by Russ	02/02/07 08:10 AM
I sense that we have another Duke U. case in the making. This time, the girl has an attorney rather than a district attorney. It will be interesting to see if any real rapist exists. The evidence had better be 100% for her sake.

Nurse cleared in denial of pill

A woman jailed after a rape report didn't get a dose of contraception.