A former nurse at a Tulsa assisted living center was sentenced this week after pleading guilty late last month to the first degree rape of an 84-year-oldresident of the facility.
Claremore resident Stephen Craig Reed, 63, was facing a sentence of 5 years to life in prison when he rejected a plea agreement that would have sent himto prison for 10 years. Instead, he pleaded guilty to the charge without a negotiated sentence. His defense attorney requested minimal sentencing,calling the incident "anomalous"in an otherwise stellar career as a nurse.
However, a pre-sentencing report indicated that the defendant showed "little remorse," and instead blamed the elderly dementia patient for the act, sayingthat she dressed provocatively and behaved sexually toward another resident of the facility.
In sentencing the defendant, Tulsa County District Judge William LaFortune said that Reed demonstrated a "pattern of minimalizing" his own behavior andculpability. Although the defense lawyer noted that Reed voluntarily surrendered his nursing license after he was charged, the judge said that he believedthe man to be at high risk of re-offending.
Instead of the 10 years that prosecutors offered and the defendant rejected, the judge sentenced Reed to 20 years in prison followed by 10 years of supervisedprobation. First degree rape is an 85 percent crime, so Reed must spend at least 17 years in prison before becoming eligible for parole at age 80.If he is ever released from prison, he must register as a sex offender for life.
The case came about after Reed had sexual intercourse with the woman, who was legally unable to consent to sex because of her dementia. She was a residentand he was a nurse at the Autumn Leaves Memory Care Assisted Living Center, a facility which cares for residents suffering from Alzheimer's Diseaseand dementia.
Under 21 O.S. � 1114, it is an act of first degree rape to engagein sexual intercourse with anyone who is "incapable through mental illness or any unsoundness of mind of giving legal consent." First degree rape isa Level 3 sex offense punishable by five years to life in prison and lifetime sex offender registration.
