Children's Hospital Psychotherapist Arrested For Sex Crimes

A psychotherapist at a King William County, Virginia children’s hospital has been taken into custody by police on suspicion of sex crimes.

CBS 6 WTVR reports that Herschel “Mickey” Harden was indicted by a grand jury that spanned multiple jurisdictions on two counts of object sexual penetration by force in New Kent County. According to court records, one of the crimes occurred in October 2018, the other in January 2019. The 72-year-old Ward worked as a psychotherapist at Cumberland Hospital for Children and Adolescents in New Kent. His victim was a former patient at the facility, according to the State Attorney General’s Office.

Cumberland Children’s Hospital has been in the investigatory crosshairs of WTVR since 2017 for multiple reports of abuse and neglect. The investigation included the collection of “approximately 250 pages of documents and information, including, but not limited to, complaints court orders, memoranda, notes, diagrams, maps, photographs, correspondence, reports, witness statements, and evidence in whole or in part,” according to CBS 6.

Parents from around the United States, some who say their children are included in that investigation, reached out to CBS 6 after their investigative report in October revealed that the hospital was cited for noncompliance when it came to notifying the state of two dozen serious alleged incidents. It’s doubtful they thought they were going to stumble upon these alleged crimes.

Harden has been released on bond and is scheduled to appear in New Kent County court on Monday, Feb. 10. The investigation into Harden and Cumberland Children’s Hospital is ongoing. The Attorney General’s office is asking anyone with information about the allegations against Harden, or other allegations at Cumberland Hospital, to contact the Virginia State Police’s Bureau of Criminal Investigations at (804) 537-6788. The name of the victim is being kept from public record to protect their safety and privacy.