A former anesthesiologist accused of choking a nurse at Lone Tree, Colo.-based Sky Ridge Medical Center pleaded guilty March 9 to felony and misdemeanor charges, CBSN Denver reports.
Beth Duche, RN, told police that Mark Ryan, MD, forcefully grabbed and squeezed her neck in October 2018 after she asked him to stop turning off recovering patients' vital sign machines. Another nurse said she saw the attack.
Dr. Ryan, who previously cited "alarm fatigue" as the cause of his outburst, pleaded guilty to one felony assault charge of strangulation as well as one misdemeanor assault charge. His sentencing is scheduled for June.
If he successfully completes three years of probation on both counts, Dr. Ryan will have the felony expunged from his record.
In 2019, Dr. Ryan agreed to permanently surrender his medical license due to "unprofessional conduct." Later this year, he is set to stand trial in a lawsuit filed by Ms. Duche.