Health department takes this action against man charged with Bellingham murder
The Burlington man accused of shooting and killing a Western Washington University student in August 2019 has had his emergency medical technician license permanently revoked.
Rigoberto Galvan, 23, is charged with aggravated first-degree murder (domestic violence) and first-degree burglary armed with a deadly weapon in Whatcom County Superior Court for the death of 22-year-old Stephanie Cresswell-Brenner, according to court documents.
Cresswell-Brenner was a former girlfriend of Galvan’s and was a student at WWU, according to previous reporting in The Bellingham Herald. She was a senior studying anthropology and was planning on becoming a physician’s assistant, her family told KOMO News.
Galvan is currently incarcerated in the Whatcom County Jail in lieu of $5 million bail, according to jail and court records.
His jury trial is tentatively scheduled for August 9, court records show.
Galvan, who was a junior at WWU, received an emergency medical technician certification from the Washington State Department of Health in early May 2019, just months prior to Cresswell-Brenner’s death, according to state health department records.
On Jan. 8, 2021, the state health department charged Galvan with unprofessional conduct, according to health department records. Galvan’s alleged actions “affect the public health, safety and welfare,” the records state.
On March 26, the state health department permanently revoked Galvan’s credential to work as an emergency medical technician in Washington state. He has no right to reapply, state health department records show.
Galvan did not respond to the unprofessional conduct charges, so the Secretary of Health determined the appropriate sanctions for Galvan’s alleged conduct was to permanently revoke his license, which was “necessary to protect the public,” according to state health department records.
When determining the appropriate sanctions, the health department considered the gravity of Galvan’s criminal charges, the severity of the underlying conduct and the risk of harm to patients posed by allowing a person charged with these crimes to work as a healthcare provider, the records show. The health department also acknowledged the harm to public perception that could be done to the emergency medical services profession due to Galvan’s criminal conduct.
“The disciplining authority determined that respondent’s character and practice can never be rehabilitated in the eyes of the public, and permanent revocation of his emergency medical technician certification is necessary in this case,” health department records state. “The Secretary of Health finds that respondent cannot be rehabilitated, nor can he regain the ability to practice with reasonable skill and safety.”
The state health department defers to law enforcement and the criminal justice system in their investigations, according to Gordon MacCracken, a spokesperson for the state health department. Because Galvan was arrested, jailed and has remained incarcerated after the alleged crime, “there’s been no risk of him working as an emergency medical technician during this time,” MacCracken said in a previous Herald story in response to why it took the department more than a year from the alleged crime to file charges.
MacCracken said the state health department does not track the employment of licensed healthcare providers unless they are on probation. Because Galvan was not on probation in regards to his EMT license, it’s unclear if he was employed by any specific agency.
The health department disciplinary actions are based out of Skagit County, according to health department records. The Skagit County Emergency Medical Services Department has not yet responded to questions from The Herald regarding whether Galvan was employed as an EMT in Skagit County.
Armed with a handgun, Galvan allegedly broke into an apartment where Cresswell-Brenner was visiting in the 900 block of 20th Street through a second-floor balcony in mid-August 2019, according to court records. Galvan allegedly shot Cresswell-Brenner at least 10 times, unloading his entire magazine, the court records state.
Galvan then allegedly called 911 and confessed to shooting Cresswell-Brenner multiple times. She died at the scene, according to court records.
