A 62-year-old Puyallup nurse has been sentenced to two years in prison for crimes against two elderly female patients at a memory care center in Lacey.
Donald Russell Gifford pleaded guilty Jan. 30 to indecent liberties and third-degree assault. The crimes were committed in January 2020 against two women who were 88 and 90 at the time, according to court records. Both victims have since died.
Court records indicate the crimes were committed at Roo Lan Health. However, the facility owner told The Olympian in 2020 that they actually occurred at a memory care facility formerly known as The Lodges at Roo Lan that’s adjacent to Roo Lan Health Care on Carpenter Road.
Thurston County Superior Court Judge Sharonda D. Amamilo sentenced Gifford on Wednesday, March 6, to 24 months in prison for the first count and 8 concurrent months for the second count, according to court records.
Amamilo also sentenced him to 36 months of community custody, formerly known as parole, for the first count and 12 months for the second count.
Gifford has no known prior criminal convictions, according to court records. The sentencing range for the first count was 21-27 months in prison and 36 months of community custody. The range for the assault charge was 3-8 months in prison and 12 months of community custody.
In a statement to the court, Gifford maintained his innocence but chose to plead guilty to take advantage of a settlement offer.
“I believe if this case were to go to trial there is a substantial likelihood that I may be found guilty as to each count,” Gifford said in the statement.
Gifford was initially charged with two counts of indecent liberties. Court records indicate the second charge was amended to third-degree assault. In his statement, Gifford said he wished to plead guilty to the amended charge so he could receive a plea bargain.
A probable cause statement describes the investigation into Gifford from the perspective of law enforcement.
The owner of Memory Care at the Lodges hired Gifford as a nurse through an outside agency to be the night shift supervisor on Jan. 1, 2020, according to the statement.
A Lacey police officer responded to the heath care center on Jan. 2 for a reported sex offense. The owner reportedly told police that he began investigating Gifford after discovering he had been looking at “old Asian lady porn” during his work shift.
The owner went on to say he believed Gifford had performed unnecessary and invasive vaginal examinations of two Asian women who had severe dementia, according to court records. Staff reportedly witnessed these examinations and cooperated with police in their investigation.
The owner informed the outside agency about the incidents and Gifford was banned from the care center.
Thurston County Superior Court Commissioner Rebekah Zinn found probable cause for two counts of indecent liberties on Jan. 6, 2020, and set bail at $40,000. Gifford posted a bail bond in March 2020. He was arrested again on Jan. 30 after he pleaded guilty.
The Washington state Department of Corrections contacted an unnamed family member of one of the victims during a pre-sentence investigation. The family member’s response was included among the court records.
“What he did to my mom was sick and depraved,” the family member said. “I hope he gets the maximum for his crime.”
Gifford trained to be a Licensed Practical Nurse in Tennessee and maintained that career for about 40 years, according to the investigation. He told investigators he intends to remain retired after being released from custod
