A 60-year-old male patient recovering from surgery at Roosevelt Hospital claims that he was molested by a 61-year-old fellow male patient. The victim, whose name hasn't been revealed, says he was recovering from spinal surgery in a room late Friday when Stevan Ward, who was being treated for drug withdrawal symptoms, came into his room and molested him: “[The victim] was heavily sedated from his medication,” said the victim's lawyer, Abby Sonin.
The victim woke up and screamed, and hospital staff rushed to grab Ward. The victim told the hospital he intended to press charges, but he now claims hospital staff has been trying to downplay the incident. “They’re trying to make nothing of it,” Sonin said. “The hospital should not have done this. It’s ridiculous. [Ward] should have been in a psychiatric ward.”
Police confirmed that hospital staff did call 911 shortly after the incident, but Sonin said her client claimed the hospital didn't want him to press charges. “He is really upset,” she said. “They tried to not have an arrest.” Ward has been charged with attempting to commit a criminal sex act.
