Police Officer Bitten by HIV-Positive Prostitute Seeking Felony Charges

Denver police Lt. Mark Leone, who was bitten last month while arresting an HIV-positive woman on prostitution charges, is seeking to formally establish that she has HIV so that if she is arrested again on prostitution charges she can be charged with a felony, the Denver Rocky Mountain News reports. Susan Donnelly, who has been convicted of prostitution four times, told another officer who arrested her in September that she had "HIV/AIDS." Last month, while being arrested by Leone, she bit him. Donnelly was later sentenced to five days in jail and a $529 fine for prostitution and assault, among other charges. Tests performed after her arrest confirmed that she has HIV and hepatitis C. "What a complete travesty this is. In September, she's arrested for prostitution and serves 30 days in jail. I arrest her and she bites me and the judge gives her five days. She's a dangerous person who is practicing prostitution, which increases the risk of spreading the virus that she has," Leone, who is taking post-exposure prophylactic drugs to reduce his odds of contracting HIV, said (Gutierrez, Denver Rocky Mountain News, 12/6).