Woman gets deferred sentences in DHMC nurse-choking case

By Anna Merriman
NORTH HAVERHILL — A Lempster, N.H., woman received deferred sentences this week after admitting to choking a nurse at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center last year.
Isabelle Montgomery, 45, pleaded guilty Thursday to one count of second-degree assault and a misdemeanor count of simple assault, according to documents filed in Grafton Superior Court.
As part of her plea deal, a judge issued a two- to seven-year sentence, which is suspended for 10 years, for the second-degree assault charge. For the misdemeanor, Montgomery was given a yearlong prison sentence, which is deferred for one year.
In addition to the sentences, Montgomery must stay away from Jennifer Martin, the nurse she assaulted, and she has to pay $550 in restitution to the hospital by the end of next week.
She also must undergo counseling and serve three years of probation.
The sentence stems from an incident in November, when she was being held under doctor’s orders in a room at DHMC, according to an affidavit written by Lebanon Police Lt. Richard Smolenski.
Staff said Montgomery tried to leave and “became agitated” when nurses and a security guard told her to return to her room, the affidavit said.
She pushed David Luther, a security guard supervisor, against a wall and put Martin, an emergency room nurse at the facility, in a chokehold until she became unconscious, the affidavit said.
Montgomery was released on personal recognizance shortly after the incident. She was indicted on one count of second-degree assault in January.
In an interview last month, Montgomery said she was acting out of stress after being put in a psychiatric hold.
“I was caught off guard. … My reaction was, ‘I need to get out of here,’ ” she said, adding that she doesn’t remember the assault itself.
Montgomery’s attorney, Michael Shklar, said Friday that Montgomery’s decision to plead guilty came after the two consulted “at great length.”
A message requesting comment from D-H spokeswoman Audra Burns was not returned Friday.
To view the original post, click here…