In what is considered to be a “slap on the wrist” plea deal, Mary K. Brown, the Wisconsin nurse who amputated a patient’s frostbitten foot to allegedly display it in her family’s taxidermy shop, will avoid any prison time. She will only have to pay more than a little over $400 in court costs.
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As reported by the KTSP, Brown pleaded no contest to negligently abusing a patient. The plea deal resulted in two additional charges, intentionally causing great bodily harm and mayhem, and physically abusing an elder person, being dismissed.
Additionally, Brown will pay $443 in court costs and will submit to any disciplinary action enforced by the Board of Nursing regarding her license.
An Unauthorized Amputation
Reportedly, the incident occurred back on May 27, 2022, at the Spring Valley Senior Living and Healthcare Campus. Doug McFarland, 62, the victim, was in hospice care at the center, as per KTSP.
McFarland had suffered a fall in his home in Couderay, Wisconsin. This resulted in his being admitted to the nursing care center. However, following his fall, his feet had frostbite and became necrotic, according to Pierce County investigators.
Mary K. Brown, a nurse at the facility, according to court papers, told investigators that he wanted to “make the quality of life better for him.” Allegedly, she referred to McFarland’s feet as “mummy feet” and proceeded to use bandage scissors to cut his foot. At the time, McFarland’s foot was attached to his body by inches of tissue.
However, Brown had no authorization to carry out the amputation. Furthermore, as per court documents, a nursing home administrator even directly told Brown not to perform the procedure.
McFarland’s sister, Heidi, became “extremely upset as a result.”
“I just don’t understand,” Heidi said. “If you are a nurse, you are supposed to care, and if you care, you go through the proper channels to get permission, to do something like that, period.”
Court documents added that a different nurse revealed to investigators that Brown’s family had a taxidermy shop.
“She was going to preserve the foot and put it on display with a sign that said ‘wear your boots, kids,'” the documents alleged.
Tragically, days after the amputation, Doug McFarland died. However, no link between the amputation and the man’s death was made.