Florida Nurse Arrested For Sexually Assaulting Patient Several Times Inside Hospital Room

A Florida nurse has been arrested for sexually assaulting a patient under his care at a local hospital, Citrus County Sheriff's office said.

The police arrested 57-year-old Hiram Bonilla of Tampa on lewd and lascivious charges. Bonilla was taken into custody Tuesday. A staff member at a Citrus county hospital reported the incident on Jan. 6.

The victim told the deputy who responded to the complaint that a registered nurse had entered her room in Citrus Memorial Hospital and engaged in sexual activity with her on several occasions on Jan. 5 and 6, said a news release from the sheriff's office.

The investigators responded to the hospital and found evidence supporting the victim's complaint. Bonilla admitted to police that he had engaged in sexual acts with the victim.

Bonilla is being held at the Hillsborough County Jail with a bond set at $35,000. He has been charged with two counts of lewd and lascivious battery and one count of lewd and lascivious molestation.

The hospital issued a statement saying that Bonilla has been terminated from his post. "We extend our sympathies to the patient and the patient's family," Katie Myers, a spokesperson from the hospital, said. She also assured the public that the hospital administration has been working with authorities investigating the alleged sexual attacks.

"It is always our goal to find justice for victims, and the detectives of the Citrus County Sheriff's Office Special Victims Unit work with unflagging devotion to duty to bring closure to these victims," Sheriff Mike Prendergast said. "The victim in this case placed her trust in the healthcare system. Bonilla not only violated that trust, but he took advantage of her in a time of need when he should have been providing care."

In a similar incident in September 2020, a Citrus County nurse was arrested for sexually assaulting a woman at the hospital as he administered her medication. Mark Miskar, 64, of Homosassa was arrested on a sexual battery charge after admitting the crime to the police, CBS8 reported.