0808_loc_hudson mug

A Harrisburg man punched a nurse at Butler Memorial Hospital over the weekend, and the nurse told Butler Township police officers it may have been a ploy to return to jail.

According to court documents, Imoan S. Hudson, 26, was on house arrest with electronic monitoring when he was charged with felony aggravated assault, misdemeanor simple assault and summary harassment on Saturday, Aug. 5.

Police said Hudson called 911 from the hospital around noon Saturday, saying he would like to go back to jail. When dispatchers called back to speak with staff, a nurse reported that Hudson had punched her.

Hudson had asked the nurse to be released from the hospital, but was denied, documents show. Police said Hudson was being aggressive with the nurse.

Hudson later approached the nurses’ station and said he was having a panic attack. The nurse asked to read his heart rate, when Hudson got upset and pretended to walk away, documents showed.

Police said Hudson then turned and punched the nurse on the left cheek. She told police she went to the emergency room in the hospital to have the injury assessed.

The nurse told police that Hudson kept saying he wanted to return to jail, and his hitting her was his way of doing that.

According to court documents, Hudson served jail time in Dauphin County for felony aggravated assault charges filed in February 2022.

On Saturday, he was placed in Butler County Prison in lieu of $50,000 bail.

His preliminary hearing before District Judge Kevin O’Donnell is scheduled Aug. 17.