State v. Houle

Defendant appeals her convictions, after a jury trial, of two counts of simple assault and one count of unnecessary cruelty to a person in her care. 13 V.S.A. §§ 1023, 1305. We affirm.

Defendant was a licensed practical nurse at the Medical Center Hospital of Vermont. The criminal charges against her, which stemmed from defendant’s treatment of a stroke patient, alleged that defendant slapped the victim’s legs repeatedly and shackled him to his bed at the wrists and ankles with his legs crossed. By the time of trial, the victim had died of causes unrelated to the charged conduct. During the…