Former Bend day care operator dies in state women’s prison, under hospice care

WILSONVILLE, Ore. (KTVZ) – A former Bend day care operator sentenced to 7 ½ years in prison in 2015 for abusing an infant in her care died Friday afternoon while in hospice care at the state women’s prison, the state Department of Corrections reported.

Nicole Rene Johansen, 48, passed away in the infirmary of Coffee Creek Correctional Facility in Wilsonville. She entered state custody in April 2015 from Deschutes County, with an earliest release date of July 31, 2022.

Johansen was sentenced to prison in April 2015, two days after pleading guilty to reduced charges, two counts of first-degree assault. Under a plea agreement three counts of first-degree criminal mistreatment were dismissed.

Johansen was arrested earlier that year, accused of abusing a 3-month-old child who sustained internal head injuries while under her care.