EMT suspended for wrongful touching

An EMT/ paramedic was suspended indefinitely this month for "inappropriate[ly] touching" women, by order of the Minnesota Emergency Medical Services Regulatory Board. Rick Besser, of Erskine, a small town near Grand Forks, was fired from an ambulance service in 2001 for sexual harassment, the order said. He was fired in June by another employer for touching the breasts of two women during demonstrations and for taking a student in a class he was teaching to a store to buy "personal items, including underwear," the order stated. He referred to the student during class as a "hot blonde" and after sending her out during a presentation to buy him a can of soda, he remarked "thanks, honey." Besser "apologized for his conduct, but indicated he did not believe he had acted inappropriately," the order said. He must follow the advice of a mental-health evaluator, pass a class on sexual harassment awareness and report on what he learned before any petition for reinstatement will be approved. Read the full order here.