Nurse convicted for sharing information
on child rape has license suspended
JOHNSON CITY, TN – A former Johnson City Medical Center nurse who was a sexual assault examiner has had her license suspended for five years, 18 months after she was found guilty of unlawful disclosure of confidential child sex abuse information.
Tessa Proffitt, of Jonesborough, was found guilty on six counts in November 2018 after she was discovered to have communicated with the mother of a child rape suspect about the case. William David Blevins was convicted in the case of rape of a child who was 10 years old at the time of the offenses.
During its investigation into Blevins, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI) discovered Proffitt was communicating with Alicia May, a registered nurse who is Blevins’ mother, according to a Tennessee Board of Nursing agreed order.
Proffitt, as a sexual assault nurse examiner, had performed a rape examination on Blevins’ victim and collected evidence for a rape kit.
A Washington County grand jury initially charged Proffitt with two counts of tampering with evidence and one count of criminal conspiracy to tamper with evidence in addition to the unlawful disclosure charges.
WOMAN INDICTED FOR REVEALING INFO, TAMPERING IN CHILD SEX ABUSE CASE
She was sentenced to 11 months 29 days probation, ordered to perform 60 hours of community service and fined $250.
During the suspension of her nursing license, Proffitt is ordered to obtain 15 hours of Tennessee Board of Nursing-approved ethics training and 15 hours regarding HIPAA/confidentiality.
She must also pay two separate $1,000 fines and take and pass the Ethics and Boundaries Assessment Exam.
Blevins, of Johnson City, was charged in November 2019 with violating the sex offender registry.