Following is a summary of this Breitbart article:
An 34 year old Ethiopian immigrant who was working as a certified Nursing Assistant in Portland, Oregon has been arrested and charged with the rape of 87 and 94 year old patients, and a half dozen other alleged victims have come forward after his arrest making him likely face many more charges.
Most shocking is the fact that the lawsuit filed on behalf of the 87 year old victim claims that many of the attacks could have been prevented if the hospital acted after the 94 year old told them she had been raped back in June.
The lawsuit alleges:
“ [St. Vincent Medical Center] knew and had reason to know that Adeladilew Mekonen had abused and was likely to again sexually abuse ill and elderly female patients, including plaintiff, if he were allowed to be alone with them in their rooms, and yet defendant Providence directed and allowed Mekonen to continue to attend such female patients, including plaintiff, under such circumstances.”
The 87 year old’s attorney told a Portland TV station: “When you get an accusation as serious as this, you’re really supposed to do something about it. You’re not supposed to look for the first door out and try to look for a way to say it never happened.”
The hospital issued a statement saying that they are working closely with law enforcement, and that they have a team of people working to review and investigate any patient concerns in all of their hospitals.
A neighbor of the suspect expressed surprise when he was interviewed by a local news station KATU, saying: “I thought he was a very nice guy, family oriented.”
Mekonen had been working at the hospital since May, a month before the first rape was reported. He immigrated to the United States from Ethiopia in 2011.