UPPER MARLBORO, Md. — The case of a medical worker accused of sexually assaulting a patient at an area emergency room is now in the hands of a jury.
On Thursday, jurors heard testimony from both Jared Kline, a nurse accused of the assault at Bowie Health Center, and the alleged victim, a woman who was 22 at the time of the January 2014 incident.
The woman at times teared up during testimony in which she stated that on separate occasions, Kline, of Springfield, Virginia, placed his clothed genitals in her palm, after she stretched out her arm to receive an IV.
She said she remained still because of fear that any problems with the IV placement would be painful. However, she said that after she could feel that he had become aroused, she pulled her arm back, and said Kline had a visible erection.
Kline testified that he felt initial contact against his thigh and then felt the woman’s hand move to his genitals. He said he assumed the contact was accidental and continued to work to place the IV. Also, he said he made a joke that the contact might have made the process of placing the IV easier for her, which he later apologized for.
Jurors also heard testimony from the nurse in charge during the incident, who said he came to the room to find the woman crying, and from a police officer who responded to the hospital to take statements from those involved.
Kline’s lawyer insisted the woman was looking for a payout from a civil suit. While testifying, the woman denied being a part of a current lawsuit, but later admitted she had signed a ‘’consent to settle’’ for a suit against the nursing company that had employed Kline.
Kline faces charges of second-degree assault and fourth-degree sex offense. After briefly deliberating Thursday, jurors were excused, and are set to return Friday morning.
