A male registered nurse at the Belair Healthcare and Rehabilitation Center in Lower Burrell has been charged with sexually assaulting two female patients.
Police charged Jacques G. Wagner, 58, of New Kensington on Wednesday with a felony count of aggravated indecent assault and two related misdemeanors in connection with the alleged incidents, according to court documents.
Investigators said one of the women told them Wagner came to her room and touched her inappropriately while changing her adult diaper, according to a criminal complaint filed in support of the charges.
Wagner initially told police that he only assisted a female nurse with changing the woman’s undergarment, the complaint said. Police say he later admitted that he was alone with the woman while changing her.
Police said a second resident told them Wagner touched her inappropriately while he was changing her bed pan, but she initially was too afraid to report the incident.
Police say they questioned Wagner about the allegations made by both women, but he denied doing anything wrong.
He told investigators that the women “would flirt with him” and made comments indicating they were attracted to him, according to the complaint.
When pressed on whether anything that occurred between him and the women could be “misconstrued as inappropriate,” police said Wagner admitted the accusations leveled against him are true.
Wagner’s lawyer, James Jay Geibig of Connellsville, did not return a telephone message seeking comment.
Representatives for the 103-room facility’s parent company, Guardian Healthcare, issued a statement Wednesday saying “the safety of our residents and our caregivers is, and has always been, our top priority.
“We will continue to fully cooperate with law enforcement authorities as their investigation of this former employee continues,” they wrote. “Our team is also communicating regularly with residents, their families and our caregivers to assure them of our commitment to safety and providing quality care in the Lower Burrell community.”
Wagner was arrested Monday and released from jail on Wednesday after posting a $25,000 bond. He faces an Oct. 19 preliminary hearing on the charges before District Judge Cheryl Peck Yakopek.
