Woman Raped by Paramedic —in Ambulance: Cops

Yet another truly horrific Christmas Day story: A Connecticut woman was raped in the wee hours of Dec. 25, say police—by the paramedic who was dispatched to help her after she fell at a holiday party. Police say the 22-year-old woman suffered a head injury and lost consciousness around 3am; an American Medical Response ambulance arrived to take her Yale-New Haven Hospital. According to police, she regained consciousness on the drive there—and realized the sole paramedic in the back of the ambulance with her was sexually assaulting her.

The woman told police that the assault lasted 5 to 7 seconds; she was unable to move since she was strapped to a stretcher. The New Haven Register reports that paramedic Mark Powell, 49, turned himself in yesterday; he has been charged with sexual assault and unlawful restraint. The AP notes that a rep for AMR explained that it is a national standard to have only one person in the back of the ambulance when transporting a patient. (More crime stories.)