Ex-paramedic who groped women gets sentence extended

PORTLAND — A former Vancouver paramedic who is already in prison for the attempted sexual abuse of four female patients was sentenced Thursday to three years in prison for inappropriately touching three other women.

Lannie L. Haszard, 65, pleaded no-contest Thursday morning to three counts of attempted first-degree sexual abuse as part of an agreement with prosecutors. His plea resolves the outstanding charges against him stemming from a criminal investigation that dates back to 2007.

Criminal and civil-litigation investigators uncovered allegations by as many as 19 women who said Haszard, a former employee for the American Medical Response ambulance company, groped them while they were being transported to the hospital for medical care. The women ranged in age from 28 to 72 and were in some cases semiconscious or incapacitated.

The sentence handed down Wednesday by Multnomah County Circuit Judge Julie Frantz is to run concurrently with the prison term imposed in 2008 for fondling four other women. Once that sentence expires in December, Haszard will still have about 33 months left to serve. He was also sentenced to post-prison supervision and must register as a sex offender.

None of the three victims in Thursday’s case wanted to attend the sentencing, said Multnomah County senior deputy district attorney Donald Rees. But the victims and their attorney, Greg Kafoury, reviewed the plea agreement and are “pleased with this resolution,” Rees said.

Haszard did not offer a statement in court. The no-contest plea recognizes that a jury or a finder of fact could conclude from the evidence that Haszard was guilty, said his attorney, Lisa Ludwig.

Frantz called his acts a “betrayal of trust,” adding that he molested the women “in the most vulnerable” situation possible.

Haszard’s actions have generated several civil claims against the ambulance company, as well. Kafoury, who represented one of the first women to report Haszard, won a $3.85 million judgment (including attorneys’ fees) against AMR Northwest in September 2009 and has settled five other claims.