An employee at a Fort Leavenworth military hospital was convicted last week of attacking a U.S Army nurse with a razor blade and a pair of scissors, and lighting her on fire at the hospital they both worked at, The Daily Beast reported.
Clifford Currie, 55, a civilian employee of the U.S. Army, was found guilty of one count of assault with intent to commit murder for the 2016 attack at the Fort Leavenworth Munson Army Health Center.
On September 7, 2016, Army Lt. Katie Ann Blanchard was lit on fire with gasoline and a match, and attacked by Currie with scissors and a razor blade.
Co-worker Deanne Kilian entered the room after hearing screams and tried to help put the fire out with her body and a blanket. Currie attacked her with the scissors and the razor blade while putting his foot on her throat.
“I remember seeing him above me with his foot on my neck,” Blanchard told The Daily Beast. “He’s so close to me and has this smirky smile on his face.”
While a soldier was subduing Currie, Blanchard reportedly screamed: “I told you this would happen!”
Blachard said that she had been complaining about Currie for months, but officers at the hospital ignored her.
In a January 2016 dispute, Currie cornered Blanchard in an office and screamed at her. When situations similar to this arose, she would hit the “Code Green” alarm to get security to separate them.
Since the incident, Blanchard has been receiving treatment at the San Antonio Warrior Transition Unit.
Blanchard’s lawyer Will Helixon said this attack should never have happened after she repeatedly told officers about the hostile work environment.
“We are fully cooperating with the pending Army investigation and looking for answers as to why 1LT Blanchard’s repeated reports to her U.S. Army supervisors that Mr. Currie was a threat to her, and her requests for a safety plan, were ignored,” he said. “Although barred by the Feres Doctrine from recovering damages from the Army for failure to provide a safe workplace, we will do everything we can to prevent this from happening to anyone else in the future.”
Currie’s sentencing is scheduled for October 31, where he faces up to 20 years in prison.
“I’m thankful that he’s going away. But there’s no justice,” Blanchard told The Daily Beast. “Not enough to replace what I’ve lost.”
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