Good Karma

I have done my good deed for the year. And it's an interesting story.

Last week, out of nowhere, I got a phone call.

"This is Amy McGowan, Assistant District Attorney in Douglas County. Is this B. P., the nurse?"
"Yes. Can I help you?"
"Did you work in the Emergency Department in September 1995?"
"Wow, that was a long time ago, but yes, I did."

She went on to ask if I recalled a certain patient, the victim of a rape, that I had taken care of...as it happens, it was the first rape victim I had ever taken care of, and I DID remember her.

Well, it seems that we did slides of body fluids which went to the Kansas Bureau of Investigation's DNA data base, and we then put into the national data base, Codus (spelling?). Now, 13 years later, a miscreant in California was arrested, and low and behold, his DNA turns up in our little case--well, come to find out not just ours, but THREE rape cases in KS. And KS has this interesting law that says if the perpatrator of a crime leaves the state, the clock on the statute of limitations stops until he returns to the state. So, the creep was extradited back to KS, and now is on trial for rape in Douglas County. And it just so happens yours truly was the RN who took the samples and sent them to KBI and the lab which were used to find this guy. The ADA wanted me to testify to the fact that I did indeed obtain those specimens, handled them according to procedure, and did my job right.

I was delighted to help.

So, last Wednesday, I went to Lawrence, took the stand in the trial and told them the truth. I was the examining nurse, I took these specimens, I handled them properly and sent them to the proper place. I was happy to do my civic duty.

Today, someone from the DA's office called me and said that worthless scum had been CONVICTED of SEVEN counts of rape, and will be sentenced next week.

So, because I did my job 13 years ago, and did it right, he got caught. And at least partially because I was able to testify to those facts, he was convicted of his crimes.

I did my good deed for the year, I'd say. And I was happy to do it. We are all the safer for the DA in Lawrence. And that is such a good thing.