Florida nurse arrested for inappropriately touching patient while under anesthesia, deputies say
By Allison Petro
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KISSIMMEE, Florida (WESH) — A nurse is behind bars after a patient accused him of touching her while she was under anesthesia, according to the Osceola County Sheriff’s Office.
Deputies identified the nurse as 45-year-old Carlos Herrera, who worked at AdventHealth Celebration in Kissimmee.
On March 16, deputies responded to reports of a battery incident.
During the investigation, deputies spoke with the victim, who told them that while she was in a post-anesthesia state, Herrera took her to another room.
She said Herrera yelled her name multiple times, but she was unable to speak or open her eyes. That’s when Herrera allegedly squeezed and massaged her breast, according to the arrest warrant.
The victim immediately opened her eyes after the contact and said Herrera claimed he was trying to move her so she could lie flat.
When a female nurse entered the room, the victim asked whether it was common practice to reposition patients in that manner. The nurse said it was not.
After the incident was reported, Herrera was suspended pending further investigation.
According to the arrest warrant, Herrera was charged with abuse of a disabled adult without causing great bodily harm, as the victim was under medication and recovering from surgery at the time of the incident.
He was also charged with committing a lewd and lascivious act.
WESH 2 reached out to Advent Health for comment, which shared the following statement:
“Patient safety is our highest priority. We take concerns like this seriously. In accordance with our policy, we immediately placed the team member on leave on March 16 after the allegation was made, and he remains on leave.”
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