Des Moines police: Nurse had sex with patient
A Des Moines nurse began a sexual relationship with a woman who came under his care after she was injured during a suicide attempt, according to accusations in a newly released police report.
Detectives were told March 4 about a resident at Union Park Health Services who had a relationship with a nurse, Samuel Lance Fristo, after she entered the facility for rehabilitation from her injuries. Facility administrator Tammy Bushong told police she did not believe the woman was capable of consenting to a sexual relationship with the nurse because of ongoing mental health issues, according to the incident report.
Fristo, 56, reportedly began paying attention to the woman after she moved into the care facility in December. The relationship developed into sexual interactions that possibly happened three to four days a week when Fristo was working, the report said.
The nurse would tell the woman that "he is the man for her" and "talk about his completely shaved body," according to the report. Eventually, the two kissed, and Fristo fondled her breasts. The nurse also showed the woman his buttocks, the report said.
The woman was discharged from the Eighth Street facility in February. But Fristo was "very demanding" that the relationship continue, and the two stayed in touch by phone, the report said.
On Feb. 13, the woman took a cab to the nurse's house in Windsor Heights, where the two drank alcohol and had sex. The woman returned to Union Park Health Services in late February to mend from a broken toe. She believed the break happened sometime during the evening at Fristo's, according to the report.
Bushong was not immediately available to speak with a reporter who called the facility Saturday. Nobody answered two phone numbers found for Fristo.
Polk County Jail records show that Fristo was booked into the jail Friday on a dependent adult abuse charge. He was later released and filed an affidavit for a court-appointed attorney, though no lawyer was listed in court filings Saturday.
A criminal complaint was not immediately available to The Des Moines Register to confirm whether the charge and the investigation are linked. A complaint against Fristo for dependent adult abuse was filed in Polk County District Court on April 4, online court records show.