Plea agreement reached in Jefferson case
By Kat Russell, Reporter
The Paducah Sun
May 11, 2016
http://www.paducahsun.com/news/local/051116_PS_Jefferson_Plea
An agreement has been reached in the case against a surgeon accused of making gun-related comments on Jan. 26 in an operating room at Baptist Health Paducah.
Originally charged with third-degree terroristic threatening and second-degree disorderly conduct, Dr. Ted Jefferson entered an Alford plea Tuesday to an amended charge of harassment without physical contact.
An Alford plea means a defendant is not pleading guilty to an alleged offense but is acknowledging the commonwealth has sufficient evidence to possibly procure a guilty verdict from a jury.
"Basically it's a way for people to accept pleas without saying they're guilty," said Jefferson's attorney, Bard Brian. "This was a compromise to accept the agreement offered by the commonwealth. Dr. Ted is not saying he committed any (criminal) act."
As part of the agreement, the harassment charge was then diverted for six months, after which it will be dismissed as long as Jefferson stays out of trouble.
After the hearing, Assistant County Attorney Jamey Mills said he was pleased with how the case ended.
"I think the resolution that we reached is a good one," he said. "Ultimately, the possibility of a workplace shooting is something that we can't take lightly. It's not something that we can second-guess. It's something that we have to act on. So, prosecuting this case was the right thing to do."
Mills said he hoped the resolution of Jefferson's case will encourage people to think carefully about how they handle situations that anger them and find more sensible way to reconcile their issues.
Since the beginning of his case, Jefferson has maintained he only said what he said out of anger.
The doctor claims he received three corrupt surgical trays that day, resulting in delayed surgeries. Those trays had been the focus of the doctor's defense, which alleged Baptist Health has serious issues within its central sterilization unit.
Following the hearing, Brian said he felt good about the case's resolution, but there was a long way to go when it came to holding the hospital accountable.
"It's hard not to see it as a victory for Dr. Ted," he said. "The problem is the issues with Baptist Health still continue. So I don't feel like we really accomplished everything we wanted to accomplish ... Dr. Ted is still not satisfied, and I'm not satisfied for the people of this community that Baptist Health has been held accountable."
Brian said the hospital still has a lot of questions it needs to answer.
"Where's the investigation for the people of this community on Baptist Health?" he said. "Where's the investigation as to their perhaps wanton endangerment of hundreds, if not thousands, of members of this community? Where's the grand jury investigation where they can call people in, call these administrators in, and get to the bottom of the problem with Baptist Health?
"Somebody needs to get to the bottom of this," he continued. "And that's where our emphasis is going to be now. We're going to see if we can't find some entity that will help us get to the bottom of what's going on at Baptist Health and answer these questions."
The Sun reached out to Baptist Health Paducah to see what the hospital had to say about the resolution of Jefferson's case and the continued allegations regarding the safety of the hospital, and received this statement:
"Since Ted Jefferson threatened to bring an assault rifle into our hospital on January 26, he has repeatedly made excuses for and attempted to divert attention from his inexcusable behavior. Now that he has pleaded guilty to harassment in an Alford plea, we move forward, grateful for the confidence of our patients, staff and 250 physicians, including 50 who perform 10,000 surgical procedures a year. We remain focused on what matters most improving the health of those we are privileged to serve in the community we call home."
Contact Kat Russell, a Paducah Sun staff writer, at 270-575-8653.
Originally charged with third-degree terroristic threatening and second-degree disorderly conduct, Dr. Ted Jefferson entered an Alford plea Tuesday to an amended charge of harassment without physical contact.
An Alford plea means a defendant is not pleading guilty to an alleged offense but is acknowledging the commonwealth has sufficient evidence to possibly procure a guilty verdict from a jury.
"Basically it's a way for people to accept pleas without saying they're guilty," said Jefferson's attorney, Bard Brian. "This was a compromise to accept the agreement offered by the commonwealth. Dr. Ted is not saying he committed any (criminal) act."
As part of the agreement, the harassment charge was then diverted for six months, after which it will be dismissed as long as Jefferson stays out of trouble.
After the hearing, Assistant County Attorney Jamey Mills said he was pleased with how the case ended.
"I think the resolution that we reached is a good one," he said. "Ultimately, the possibility of a workplace shooting is something that we can't take lightly. It's not something that we can second-guess. It's something that we have to act on. So, prosecuting this case was the right thing to do."
Mills said he hoped the resolution of Jefferson's case will encourage people to think carefully about how they handle situations that anger them and find more sensible way to reconcile their issues.
Since the beginning of his case, Jefferson has maintained he only said what he said out of anger.
The doctor claims he received three corrupt surgical trays that day, resulting in delayed surgeries. Those trays had been the focus of the doctor's defense, which alleged Baptist Health has serious issues within its central sterilization unit.
Following the hearing, Brian said he felt good about the case's resolution, but there was a long way to go when it came to holding the hospital accountable.
"It's hard not to see it as a victory for Dr. Ted," he said. "The problem is the issues with Baptist Health still continue. So I don't feel like we really accomplished everything we wanted to accomplish ... Dr. Ted is still not satisfied, and I'm not satisfied for the people of this community that Baptist Health has been held accountable."
Brian said the hospital still has a lot of questions it needs to answer.
"Where's the investigation for the people of this community on Baptist Health?" he said. "Where's the investigation as to their perhaps wanton endangerment of hundreds, if not thousands, of members of this community? Where's the grand jury investigation where they can call people in, call these administrators in, and get to the bottom of the problem with Baptist Health?
"Somebody needs to get to the bottom of this," he continued. "And that's where our emphasis is going to be now. We're going to see if we can't find some entity that will help us get to the bottom of what's going on at Baptist Health and answer these questions."
The Sun reached out to Baptist Health Paducah to see what the hospital had to say about the resolution of Jefferson's case and the continued allegations regarding the safety of the hospital, and received this statement:
"Since Ted Jefferson threatened to bring an assault rifle into our hospital on January 26, he has repeatedly made excuses for and attempted to divert attention from his inexcusable behavior. Now that he has pleaded guilty to harassment in an Alford plea, we move forward, grateful for the confidence of our patients, staff and 250 physicians, including 50 who perform 10,000 surgical procedures a year. We remain focused on what matters most improving the health of those we are privileged to serve in the community we call home."
Contact Kat Russell, a Paducah Sun staff writer, at 270-575-8653.
