A Wisconsin nurse has been thrown behind bars after she repeatedly had sex with a drug-court patient — and then falsely claimed he sexually assaulted her.
Melissa Knutson was found guilty of misconduct in public office and obstructing an officer after she engaged in the tryst with the patient while she was working for the Monroe County Drug Court in 2022.
When authorities were alerted to her antics, the nurse initially accused the patient of sexually assaulting her, prosecutors said.
Knutson — who was tasked with giving the patient the substance abuse drug, Vivitrol — had tried to claim that she opted to stay quiet about the so-called assault because she feared he would harm her or her family.
But text messages from the patient later revealed Knutson had initiated the relationship — and that she vowed to deny everything if they were eventually busted, according to prosecutors.
She later admitted to lying about the assault in a bid to avoid the consequences.
“The harm caused by Ms. Knutson was deep and significant. Not only did she violate the sacred trust between a patient and a nurse, but she compounded that by falsely accusing the patient of sexual assault,” District Attorney Kevin Croninger said in a statement.
“This situation is particularly egregious given the patient in this situation was a participant in drug court.”
Knutson was sentenced to 18 months in prison and two years of extended supervision.
