Nurse groped sedated patient at Florida hospital, deputies say

Nurse accused of groping sedated patient at Florida hospital

Authorities in Florida are investigating a nurse accused of sexually battering a patient at AdventHealth Celebration, where deputies say the woman was groped shortly after a medical procedure while still under the effects of anesthesia.

OSCEOLA COUNTY, Fla. - A nurse accused by the Osceola County Sheriff’s Office of groping a female patient at AdventHealth Celebration was arrested in March.

Carlos Herrera is charged with abuse of a disabled adult because deputies said the woman was still groggy from the anesthesia and a lewd and lascivious act. Herrera has since bonded out of jail. The judge set bail at $30,000.

The backstory:

According to deputies, Herrera groped the patient March 16 after she had an endoscopy. According to an affidavit for an arrest warrant, the woman told deputies Herrera called her name twice, but she could not answer or open her eyes because she was still affected by the anesthesia.

According to the sheriff’s office, the woman told deputies the suspect reached down her hospital gown and groped her. That’s when, according to the affidavit, she woke up and the suspect said he was trying to flip her on the bed.

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Deputies said the woman reported the incident to the nurse assigned to her and then hospital security called 911.

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Deputies arrested Herrera on March 25.

Deputies want anyone who believes they are a victim to contact them. The non-emergency line is (407) 348-2222.

Deputies said as of April 22, they have not received any other complaints against Herrera. 

AdventHealth placed the suspect on leave March 16.

What they're saying:

Osceola Sheriff’s Office Captain Kim Montes said there could be more victims because the suspect was not the woman’s assigned nurse.

"Our concern is it’s easier for somebody that way to be more stealth because an assigned nurse is going to be documented in and out of that room with that patient," Montes said.
Deputies said the woman took a picture of the suspect at the hospital.

"She was a great witness," Montes said. "She was able to pick him out of a photo lineup instantaneously and that just helps with the prosecution of the suspect and our whole goal is that he doesn’t have the opportunity to do this to somebody else."

AdventHealth released a statement:

"Patient safety is our highest priority. We take concerns like this seriously," AdventHealth wrote in a statement to FOX 35 News. "In accordance with our policy, we immediately placed the team member on leave March 16th after the allegation was made, and he remains on leave."

What's next:

The suspect’s next court date was not immediately clear.