Nurse sexually abuses unconscious patient at hospital in California, officials say

A nurse in California was arrested after being accused of sexually abusing an unconscious patient, officials said.

And police believe there may be more victims.

A woman who was admitted into Kaiser Permanente Hospital in Riverside in mid-January reported she’d been sexually assaulted by the nurse taking care of her, according to a March 1 news release by the city.

The nurse was identified as Jacob Daniel Hartman, 27, of Corona, police said.

McClatchy News reached out to the hospital for a statement on March 4 and was awaiting a response.

“At Kaiser Permanente, safe and high-quality care are always our top priorities,” a hospital representative told police. “As soon as we learned of this serious accusation, we immediately cooperated with law enforcement and started an internal investigation. At this time, the individual is no longer employed by Kaiser Permanente.”

Hartman was arrested on Feb. 28 and booked into the Robert Presley Detention Center for sexual assault charges and sexual battery of an unconscious person, officials said.

Police ask anyone with information to call 951-353-7120, according to the release.

Riverside is about 60 miles east of downtown Los Angeles.

This story was originally published March 4, 2024 at 2:28 PM with the headline "Nurse sexually abuses unconscious patient at hospital in California, officials say."