PORTLAND -- A former nurse at Legacy Emanuel hospital was sentenced to 15 years in prison for sexually abusing nine patients and a coworker.
Jeffrey McAllister, 39, pleaded guilty earlier this month. He admitted to taking advantage of women while he was working in the hospital's emergency room.
McAllister accepted a plea deal for 15 years. He will be under supervision for another five years after his release.
Several of McAllister's victims were in court for his sentencing. KGW's Nina Mehlhaf reported that McAllister did not acknowledge any of the victims when they spoke to him during the hearing.
Kamai Armstrong told KGW she thought she had a miscarriage when she went to the hospital. She said seeing McAllister sent to prison for abusing her helped her heal.
"He was a coward because he wouldn't look at us," said Armstrong. "But I believe that we can move on now. That I can continue to not hurt my husband anymore, and hurt my family. Because I put my family through hell because of what Jeffrey's done to me."
Police said the victims were incapable of consent by reason of mental incapacitation and physical helplessness, according to a probable cause affidavit.
Investigators began looking into the allegations against McAllister in April 2013.
He had been employed with Legacy since 2004, first as a security officer, then an ER technician. He became an ER nurse in 2008.
"I don't think that he got enough time. But I need to tell him that he can no longer hurt anybody else," Armstrong said. "The innocence he took from me? God gave that back to me. So now I can move on with my life."
With the criminal trial over, the focus shifted to the civil trials. Two women have settled suits against Legacy Emanuel. Six others are scheduled for trials.
Before he was a nurse, McAllister worked as a Beaverton police officer. Sources told KGW that McAllister resigned from the police department after he unintentionally fired his weapon while on duty.
