Ex-jail nurse admits sex with inmate

A former prison nurse accused of having sex with an inmate during his regular visits to the Springfield jail's infirmary struck a plea deal with prosecutors Tuesday.

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Former prison nurse pleads guilty after sexual misconduct

A former Springfield nurse has been released on 3-year probation and a suspended sentence after pleading guilty to one count of reckless endangerment and two counts of sexual exploitation of a confined inmate at Southern State Correctional Facility.

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2016-09-07 / Front Page Print article Print Former prison nurse pleads guilty after sexual misconduct By TORY JONES BONENFANT toryb@eagletimes.com Rebecca Parker, left, appeared on Tuesday, Sept. 6 in Windsor County Superior Court in White River Junction with her lawyer, Brian Marsicovetere. — TORY JONES BONENFANT Rebecca Parker, left, appeared on Tuesday, Sept. 6 in Windsor County Superior Court in White River Junction with her lawyer, Brian Marsicovetere. — TORY JONES BONENFANT SPRINGFIELD — A former Springfield nurse has been released on 3-year probation and a suspended sentence after pleading guilty to one count of reckless endangerment and two counts of sexual exploitation of a confined inmate at Southern State Correctional Facility (SSCF). Superior Court Judge Theresa DiMauro accepted a plea agreement on Tuesday, Sept. 6 from Attorney Brian Marsicovetere, representing Rebecca Parker in the case of the State of Vermont vs. Rebecca Parker. Parker, 39, spoke softly in the courtroom late Tuesday morning in White River Junction as she entered her plea of “guilty” to two charges of sexual exploitation, and again pleaded “guilty” to the charge of reckless endangerment. DiMauro agreed to a deferred sentence for five years on the sexual exploitation charges, a Class F offense, and to a sentence of 3-12 months, all suspended, for misdemeanor reckless endangerment, with probation under standard and special conditions. Parker must also pay restitution of $147 in court fees, which includes a $100 Special Investigation Unit surcharge. The state added the reckless endangerment charge to the docket because on the evening of Dec. 17, Parker and the inmate had engaged in “sexual acts” while the inmate was receiving dialysis treatment and hooked up to dialysis machinery. Both parties had agreed that the injection site or wires could have been “jostled” and that the acts may have run the risk of infection or bodily injury to the inmate, all according to Deputy State Attorney Heidi Remick, who represented the inmate. Parker had also received earlier training, including on safe practices and what could be considered reckless endangerment, which was another reason the state added those charges, Remick said. Marsicovetere said that he has been working to get the charges resolved, and that Parker has a family and young children in the community. He said he did not dispute that injury could have happened, but that he did not have time to obtain a doctor’s opinion on whether it could have been more than a theoretical assumption. The case has “weighed heavily” on Parker, Marsicovetere said. “She feels ashamed and absolutely awful about what happened,” he said. Marsicovetere also said that Parker has not disputed her responsibility, and does not want to deny the responsibility was on her. She is “focused on trying to recover,” and “trying to salvage what was a very troubled marriage,” he said. When DiMauro asked the attorneys why legal counsel suggested a deferred sentence, Remick stated the defendant had no prior criminal history, and that a search of recent years’ sentencing history brought up only two similar cases involving Department of Corrections employees. Both had received deferred sentences, she said. Remick also noted that in Parker’s case, “this was a fully consensual relationship,” while past cases that also resulted in deferred sentences were not consensual. Parker’s nursing license has also been revoked by the state of Vermont since she was charged, Remick said. The Vermont State Police charged Parker in July with sexual exploitation of an inmate - confined. She was accused of being “engaged in a sexual act with a person she knew was confined to a correctional facility, in violation of Vermont Statute 3257(a)(1),” from Nov. 1 to Dec. 31, 2015 while she was a contracted employee for SSCF and providing services to offenders on behalf of the Department of Corrections, all according to court documents. The 31-year-old male inmate had a victim’s advocate assigned on his behalf, in addition to representation by the state attorney’s office. He did not make an appearance in the courtroom.