‘Unsung Hero’
Chesapeake sexual assault nurse honored for work with crime victims
“What if it was my daughter?” That is the question that pulls Jennifer Knowlton out of bed at 3 a.m. long after fatigue crept into her bones.
Rallying her energy, she races to a local hospital where she will collect evidence of sexual trauma, including molestation, rape and strangulation.
Knowlton, a sexual assault nurse examiner for Chesapeake Forensics, is one of eight individuals to receive an “Unsung Hero Award” from Attorney General Jason Miyares last week for their work in crime victim services.
“These heroes are men and women who have witnessed unspeakable horrors, yet they wake up every day and go back to work because they know there are victims who need their help,” Miyares said.
Knowlton has been a nurse for more than 30 years and a forensic nurse for around 12 years. In 2012, she took over Chesapeake Forensics, a 24-hour forensic exam service for victims of sexual assault. Since then she has examined thousands of sexual assault victims across Hampton Roads and the Eastern Shore.
During the month of April, Knowlton said her team conducted nearly 40 sexual assault exams.
“In sexual assault there are no boundaries. It affects all walks of life, all ages, race, creed, financial status,” Knowlton said. “It just doesn’t fit neatly into a box.”
Knowlton said that while the individuals she examines are victims, “as a nurse, they are my patient.”
“We are first and foremost nurses, and in nursing in general, we care. But we can’t fix everything,” Knowlton said. “I just approach every exam with, ‘I am going to do the best that I can.’ ”
Regaining control after sexual assault
As a sexual assault nurse examiner, Knowlton uses physical evidence recovery kits to collect biological evidence such as saliva, blood, semen, urine, skin cells and hair from victims. Evidence from the kits can be turned over to law enforcement and used in a criminal case if a person chooses to file a police report.
As part of an exam, Knowlton talks with patients to find out what happened, using that information to guide the process of the exam. Evidence can be collected by taking swabs of the patient’s skin, genitalia and mouth, scraping under the person’s fingernails and combing through the person’s hair. During the exam, Knowlton will also identify signs of physical injuries that may require hospital treatment.
“Beyond a sexual assault, we look at if there was a physical assault. Were they hit in the head? Do they have a broken nose?” Knowlton said, adding that she is also trained to recognize the signs of strangulation, which can have long-term effects.
Sexual assault, she said, is a “unique” and “personal experience” but all cases have one common denominator: lack of control.
“Whatever happened to them — control was taken away from them,” Knowlton said. “Meeting that patient and giving them the opportunity to take back control and decide what happens next is huge.”
After someone has been sexually assaulted, Knowlton said they have three options: to file a police report, to have evidence collected but not to file a police report, or forego filing a report and evidence collection entirely.
If a police report is filed, Knowlton’s team collects evidence to turn over to law enforcement. The evidence is then taken to a crime lab to be analyzed.
The second option does not involve police at all. The kit will not be tested unless the patient chooses to pursue charges against their assailant. The kit is instead stored in a special part of the crime lab, which will maintain the integrity of the evidence. How long the kit can be stored depends on the biological evidence collected.
If a patient decides to forego filing a police report and evidence collection, the patient will be referred to a hospital or their primary care physician for medical testing to check for pregnancy and STDs.
Transitioning from victim to survivor
The job is more than conducting exams. Another important component of Knowlton’s work with Chesapeake Forensics is providing sexual assault victims with resources to aide in the healing process.
“The criminal justice system calls them ‘victims,’ but when they are in my exam room, they are my patient. As they move through the healing process, utilizing victim resources, they become ‘survivors,’ ” Knowlton said.
Knowlton connects her patients with the Norfolk Family Justice Center and the YWCA of South Hampton Roads, local organizations that offer counseling services, domestic violence shelters, hospital accompaniment and assistance obtaining protective orders.
Knowlton, who is a founding member and community partner of the two organizations, has an exam suite at the same location to meet with sexual assault patients “anytime, day or night,” she said.
“When reports are filed, the cases become a big puzzle for the victims,” Knowlton said. “And we are just one small piece of that big puzzle.”
According to Knowlton, it can take months to get DNA results from a test kit. The criminal case can take another six or seven months to work its way through the criminal justice system.
“Patients start the healing process, but months down the road they get a call reminding them what happened to them. Months later, we are kind of ripping that scab off and opening up an old wound,” Knowlton said.
Knowlton said when dealing with especially horrific cases, her team of nurses and victim advocates come together to lean on each other for support and remind themselves why they are dedicated to crime victim services.
“One of the things that always plays into my mind is, what if it was my mom, what if it was my sister, what if it was my daughter?” Knowlton said. “I take comfort knowing that I am meeting a patient at a very bad point in their life and that I can connect them to resources to make it a little more bearable, to help them put one foot in front of the other.”
Local and national resources for domestic violence and sexual assault victims in need of help, including 24-hour crisis hotlines, can be found below:
Chesapeake Forensic Specialists, 757-398-5105.
HER Shelter in Portsmouth, 757-485-3384.
Samaritan House Inc. in Virginia Beach, 757-430-2120.
YWCA South Hampton Roads in Norfolk, 757-251-0144.
National Domestic Violence Hotline, 1-800-799-7233.