A Spokane woman faked a heart attack during her son's first court appearance on a drug charge Monday, court officials said.

An ambulance rushed to the Spokane County Courthouse but did not transport the woman, who had fallen to the floor after Judge Michael Price imposed $1,000 bond for her 29-year-old son on a drug possession charge.

“She fell into the aisle and was yelling 'I'm having a heart attack,'” Price said.

Though suspicious, court officials immediately called 911, and a transport deputy tended to the woman outside the courtroom.

The woman's son told court officials there was a 10 percent chance his mother wasn't faking.

  

By Thomas Clouse

State officials have suspended the license of a paramedic who worked for Spokane’s private ambulance service after his superiors reported that the paramedic had choked and slapped a patient in December.

Andrew N. Singleton, 67, apparently is no longer working for American Medical Response, said Gordon MacCracken, spokesman for the Washington State Department of Health. A check of local court files shows that Singleton is not currently facing misdemeanor or felony charges.

AMR officials did not return a phone call Friday.

According to MacCracken, Singleton entered the patient’s bedroom to check on her. The woman, described as petite, pushed against Singleton who then grabbed her by the throat and pushed her across the room onto her bed. He then slapped the woman twice, according to state records.

“It doesn’t appear that she was badly injured,” MacCracken said. “Our issue is always patient safety.”

Singleton, who has been licensed since 1996, has 20 days to request a hearing. Efforts to reach Singleton were unsuccessful.