Hospital Sexual Assault Investigated

A New Jersey hospital is under investigation for not reporting the sexual assault of a 77-year-old patient to the state health department. Police say the attacker was a patient at that very same hospital. The attack happened at Kennedy Memorial hospital, in Washington Township, Gloucester County.

The suspect in the case has been charged with aggravated assault and criminal sexual contact, but now the hospital itself is the target of several investigations for its handling of the incident. Washington Township police said that on September 27th, in the middle of the night, 47-year-old Frank Norman, a patient at Kennedy hospital, entered the room of a 77-year-old female patient. Police say he took off his clothes and allegedly committed a sex crime against her. They say when her 40-year-old roommate tried to help, he knocked her to the floor, injuring her shoulder, but the hospital didn't contact police for 10 hours, leaving some questioning the hospital's security.

The hospital also failed to contact the New Jersey health department, which said "we are investigating whether Kennedy hospital violated the state's licensing regulations by failing to report the incident to us." For its part, Kennedy hospital defended its actions, saying "the Kennedy Health System filed appropriate protocols in dealing with this patient incident, immediately addressing patient safety and welfare and subsequently contacting the appropriate authorities."

Kennedy Health Center could be fined up to $5,000 if the Health Department determines it did not follow protocol. As for the suspect, Frank Norman, he was evaluated at a mental health facility before being released his own recognizance. Police are continuing to investigate.

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