Man With AIDS Virus Charged After Biting Two

A man infected with the AIDS virus was charged Friday with two counts of attempted first-degree murder after he bit two nurses attempting to restrain him during violent outbursts at a hospital.

Steven Paul Prior, 32, was jailed in lieu of a $50,000 bond on the charges stemming from an incident early Wednesday morning at Villa View Community Hospital in East San Diego. Prior was brought there after attempting to commit suicide by taking an overdose of AZT, a drug used to control the effects of AIDS, authorities said.

As an unidentified male nurse attempted to restrain him, Prior allegedly bit the man on the hand, breaking the skin, Deputy Dist. Atty. Robert Hammes said. About 80 minutes later, he allegedly bit another nurse and threatened, “I’m going to bite you again.”

“The key issue is intent,” Hammes said. “Right now, based on what we have and the (defendant’s) actions, he meant a lot of harm to these people.”

But Timothy Pestotnik, an attorney specializing in AIDS-related legal issues, called the attempted murder charge “overkill” because of the scant chance of transmitting the HIV virus that causes AIDS by biting. “There are no cases reported anywhere in the country where someone has transmitted HIV by a bite, a spit or a scratch,” Pestotnik said.

In April, a North Hollywood man who prosecutors contend knew he had the AIDS virus pleaded no contest to charges of assault with intent to do great bodily injury for biting and spitting bloody saliva on law enforcement officers.