Bonnie Bledsoe This is Me

Education

 Web References

1. 1. Flirting described in VA case

   www.gazettenet.com/gilbertcase - [Cached]

   Published on: 12/20/2000   Last Visited: 5/8/2001

   Bledsoe , a key government witness , accused Gilbert of offering her high-strength epinephrine contained in a rarely used ampule the government claims Gilbert stole from the VA immediately after a medical emergency.
   
   Bledsoe said she confessed to using drugs as well as selling them , stealing credit cards to obtain cash advances and shoplifting at The Home Depot so she could testify against Gilbert.
   ...
   It was my decision , Bledsoe said.
   
   Tuesday testimony
   
   On Tuesday , Bledsoe's credibility was sharply attacked by the defense , which emphasized that she had been a crack cocaine and heroin addict when she worked with Gilbert at the VA hospital.
   
   Under questioning by Hoose , Bledsoe also acknowledged she had withheld information on her previous addictions from government lawyers who sought her testimony against Gilbert.
   
   ...
   Bledsoe , who said she has been drug-free since October 1999 , was the only witness on Tuesday.
   
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   Bledsoe is the first witness to testify that Gilbert possessed the uncommon form of epinephrine.
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   Bledsoe , a respiratory therapist , testified Tuesday about an especially busy day on Ward C on Jan. 22 , 1996 , when she responded to three medical emergencies. The emergencies , or codes , involved a patient being treated for lung disease.
   
   Bledsoe has asthma , which can be treated with a form of epinephrine , the stimulant used to revive a heart that has stopped beating.
   
   At one point , Bledsoe testified , she told Gilbert , If I have to run over here one more time , Krissy , I'm going to start wheezing..
   
   Gilbert responded , Bledsoe testified , by reaching into her pocket and pulling out something and asked if I needed epi..
   ...
   During direct examination by Welch , Bledsoe disclosed her drug use , which included spending up to $ 400 a day for crack cocaine and $ 200 a day for heroin.
   
   Bledsoe , wearing a black dress and red neck scarf , appeared anxious in the witness box , wringing her hands and smiling at members of her family who sat in the third row of public seats. She occasionally glanced at Gilbert , who was at the defense table flanked by her lawyers.
   ...
   Bledsoe said prosecutors gave her immunity that covered testimony about drug possession but did not cover admissions that she sold crack cocaine , stole a credit card to obtain cash advances and shoplifted at The Home Depot to support her habits.
   
   Her 80 minutes of testimony were immediately challenged by Hoose , one of three lawyers appointed to represent Gilbert.
   
   At one point , Hoose snapped at Bledsoe , asking , Is this humorous to you.
   ...
   Bledsoe responded , No , it's not..
   
   In cross-examination , Hoose noted that Bledsoe only recently disclosed to prosecutors her drug history , despite dozens of interviews with investigators over the last five years.
   
   I figured they knew about it , Bledsoe said.
   
   Hoose claimed that prosecutors learned about Bledsoe's addictions when Gilbert's lawyers subpoenaed records of Bledsoe from a drug treatment center in Worcester.
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   According to the records , Bledsoe consistently told emergency room staff to give her epinephrine to help her breathe. Bledsoe testified she was given epinephrine in a syringe after one visit to use if needed. She said that another time she used epinephrine Wall had from a prescription.
   
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   No , he most certainly did not , Bledsoe said.
   
   Asked if she did , Bledsoe responded , No , I did not..
   
   Bledsoe said her drug use did not influence her performance at work or her memory of events at the VA hospital.
   
   But she did tell Hoose that as a drug addict , she honed skills of deception and manipulation.
   
   Rock bottom
   
   Bledsoe grew up in South Hadley and received a degree in respiratory therapy from Springfield Technical Community College in 1984. She said she now works part-time as a respiratory therapist at Noble Hospital in Westfield and in a family printing business.
   
   She testified that her drug use began in the fall of 1994 and ended Oct. 28 , 1999 , when she hit rock bottom..
   
   I stopped breathing at. I went into cardiac arrest , she testified. She said she was on a respirator for 12 days and was discharged from the hospital six weeks later.
   
   During her days as an addict , Bledsoe said that Wall , whom she said also used drugs , helped support her habit. She said he used income from rental property and proceeds from the $ 250 , 000 sale of a house on Prospect Street in Northampton.
   
   Under cross-examination , Bledsoe said she used heroin more than 10 times but less than 50 , and smoked crack cocaine once while on duty at the VA hospital. She worked for the Northampton facility from 1990 through 1997 , when she quit after being threatened with suspension for excessive absenteeism , according to testimony.