Goodyear Police Department has submitted charges against a former employee of Palm Valley Post Acute, a long-term care facility in Arizona, following allegations of sexual assault on a patient. Bobby Lee Williams, the accused nursing assistant, is facing charges of sexual assault and unlawful imprisonment after a former patient claimed to have been raped and impregnated by him, according to a report by FOX 10.
Williams, who had received his certified nursing assistant license in June before surrendering it in January, admitted to having sex with the patient, though he claimed the encounters were consensual. The Arizona Department of Health Services (AZDHS), after conducting a week-long investigation, found that Palm Valley Post Acute failed to enforce policies designed to protect residents, and was deficient with respect to, reporting and investigation of the sexual abuse allegations.
Salvatore Anastasi, a former patient of the facility, became the whistleblower in the tragic case by assisting the victim in reporting the incident to police. Anastasi shared in an interview obtained by FOX 10, that he had observed suspiciously long visits by Williams to the victim's room. When the victim confided in him about the repeated rape, he urged her to, "go to the police station."
Despite a report from another staff member to the facility's director of nursing in late September and the victim's attempt to speak with the director of operations, it wasn't until a "concerned staff member" reported Williams was still working at Palm Valley on November 17 that AZDHS was notified. The facility self-reported the next day, but Williams was terminated only after the victim was found pregnant two days later. Anastasi said, according to the AZDHS findings, the victim claims she was raped by Williams "15–20 times during her stay."
The victim's attorney has asserted that Palm Valley should be held liable for the "life-altering injuries" experienced by the victim. In a statement obtained by FOX 10, the attorney emphasized that Williams was allowed to continue his predatory behavior and that despite pleas for help, Palm Valley staff leadership "did nothing to stop the sexual violence from occurring." Palm Valley Post Acute has yet to respond to requests for comment regarding the allegations and developments in the case.
