A Tucson hospital employee was arrested on suspicion of sex crimes involving a patient, authorities say.
Jose Jacob Chavez, 41, at the time a behavioral specialist who worked overnight shifts  at University Medical Center South, was accused by a patient of sex assault on May 30, an interim complaint filed in Pima County Superior Court said.
The patient, who was in the secure behavioral unit by court order, said the incidents started soon after Chavez interjected himself into a conversation about body piercings. Â
When she went to bed, the complaint said, Chavez entered her room multiple times overnight as she was in and out of sleep and allegedly committed several sex acts.
Security footage showed Chavez entered the woman's room 21 times throughout his shift from 7 p.m. to 7:30 a.m., which the report said the complaint noted was "abnormal."
People are also reading…
In the complaint, the woman said she didn’t feel free to leave and worried that if she yelled for help, she would be sedated or restrained.
When she was able to access a phone the next day, the patient called her mother and told a nurse about what happened, the complaint said.
Chavez initially denied any contact with the woman when he was questioned by Tucson police. Later, he told police he had sexual contact with the woman but said that she had initiated it.
Chavez has since been fired by Banner.
"Upon learning of this matter, we immediately contacted law enforcement and have been cooperating fully with their investigation," Banner Health said in a statement to the Star. "The individual involved is no longer employed by Banner Health."Â
Chavez was booked into the Pima County jail on suspicion of sexual assault, sexual abuse and kidnapping.
In his initial court appearance, the lawyer for Chavez argued for a $25,000 bond, noting that he had a wife and three children and did not present a flight risk. His bond was set at $50,000.
Chavez is set to be in court again June 11.
This is the second reported incident this year involving alleged sex abuse of a patient at a local Banner hospital.
In February, a former nurse at Banner-University Medical Center was arrested on suspicion of sexually assaulting an incapacitated woman.
