An Arizona medical center staffer was arrested Wednesday and accused of assaulting a patient who was partially sedated, police said.
Xavier Perez, 38, was caring for a 48-year-old woman after she was treated for back pain at Integrated Pain Consultants in Scottsdale when he sexually assaulted her, the woman reported to police.
She said she was regaining consciousness after treatment on June 25, 2018, when the alleged crime happened, Scottsdale police said in a statement.
"Over the course of the next several months evidence gathered confirmed the female victim’s account of events and allowed detectives to establish probable cause for Perez’ arrest," the statement said. He was charged with one count of sexual assault.
Police said Perez also admitted to the assault, and although he said it was a one-time occurrence, they are worried he may have victimized other patients. They said he has worked at all of Integrated Pain Consultants' several locations at some point.
Integrated Pain Consultants did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The arrest comes after a former nurse at Hacienda HealthCare in Phoenix was charged with sexual assault after an incapacitated patient there gave birth in December. Nathan Sutherland, 36, was arrested Jan. 22 and has since pleaded not guilty.
