Federal Appeals Court Rejects Sentence Reduction For Former Surgery Tech

DENVER (CBS4)- A federal appeals court has rejected a request to reduce the sentence for a former surgery tech who infected patients with Hepatitis C.

A judge sentenced Kristen Parker to 30 years in prison after she admitted that she stole painkillers and left dirty syringes in their place. That was 10 years more than the plea agreement called for.

Parker had asked the appeals court to reduce her sentence to 20 years. She blames her actions on her addiction.

Parker worked at Rose Medical Center as an operating room technician. More than a dozen people were infected with Hepatitis C as a result of her actions.

The appeals court denied her request on Friday.