DENVER—Prosecutors are awaiting a decision on their request to delay the trial of a surgery technician accused of swapping dirty syringes, possibly exposing thousands of patients to hepatitis C.
Kristen Diane Parker is accused of switching her used syringes for ones filled with powerful painkillers. The 26-year-old faces 19 counts each of tampering and illegally obtaining a controlled substance.
Parker entered a not guilty plea during a one-minute appearance in court Thursday. Her second plea of not guilty plea comes after prosecutors last month obtained an indictment that replaced the first indictment handed up in July.
Prosecutors have asked a judge to delay Parker’s trial, scheduled to begin Sept. 28, saying detailed testing on the strain of hepatitis C involved can take months.
Parker’s defense attorneys haven’t responded to the request.
Thousands of patients at two Colorado hospitals have been tested, with prosecutors linking 35 hepatitis C infections to Parker. She believes she was infected by sharing needles while injecting heroin.
Investigations have also been launched at hospitals in upstate New York and in Houston where Parker previously worked.
