Security officer raped Auburn rehab patient police say
King County WA October 21 2018 A 34-year-old contracted security guard used his access to patients to rape a woman at an Auburn rehabilitation clinic earlier this month, King County prosecutors allege.
Ronald David Rodriguez was charged with indecent liberties and second-degree assault after a woman staying at Phoenix Rising, a facility that provides housing and services for young adults with a history of homelessness, substance abuse and mental illness, reported being assaulted while she tried to sleep in her private quarters Oct. 5.
Ronald David Rodriguez was charged with indecent liberties and second-degree assault after a woman staying at Phoenix Rising, a facility that provides housing and services for young adults with a history of homelessness, substance abuse and mental illness, reported being assaulted while she tried to sleep in her private quarters Oct. 5.
Rodriguez was employed by a security company that contracted with Valley Cities Behavioral Health, the larger program that includes Phoenix Rising.
He had an alleged sexual history with at least one other patient and had been verbally reprimanded for making sexist and racial comments at work, according to the Auburn Police Department report. One patient had reportedly avoided obtaining services because of Rodriguez’s presence.
The alleged victim also claimed that Rodriguez made her uncomfortable and that she lived on the street instead of at Phoenix Rising for a time because she feared him, reports say.
She told police that she returned to the clinic and was sleeping in her unlocked apartment about 9 a.m. Oct. 5. She woke up to her blanket being pulled off her and saw Rodriguez standing next to her with his pants partially down, she claimed.
The woman attempted to fight of Rodriguez’s attempts to rape her, but he squeezed her neck to the point she nearly passed out, court documents indicate.
The owner of the security company contracting with Valley Cities called police four days later, on Oct. 9.
The patient had installed video cameras in her room before the assault in an attempt to catch evidence of residents stealing from her. She showed the footage to an Auburn police officer, who saw Rodriguez assaulting the patient on the film.
Cops arrested Rodriguez Oct. 10.
The security company owner and the clinic director told police that Rodriguez’s behavior on the job was “somewhat intrusive, inappropriate and overly intimate towards females, while the complete opposite around men,” according to the incident report.
Valley Cities has not responded to requests for comment.
Rodriguez remains jailed on $200,000 bail.
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