The charges
Court complaints connect Willie Hill, 35, to eight criminal counts stemming from his work at Glenwood Behavioral Health Hospital, according to WLWT, citing the complaints. The charges are five fifth-degree felony sexual-battery counts, two third-degree felony sexual-battery counts and one third-degree misdemeanor voyeurism count.
How Ohio law classifies the offenses
Ohio law classifies sexual battery according to the conduct and circumstances alleged. Sexual battery involving sexual conduct is generally a third-degree felony; when the other person is at least 13 but under 18, it is a second-degree felony with a mandatory prison term. Sexual battery involving sexual contact is generally a fifth-degree felony, or a fourth-degree felony if the other person is under 18, subject to statutory exceptions. The charges reported here do not, by themselves, establish which statutory circumstances prosecutors allege. The voyeurism statute assigns a third-degree misdemeanor to subsection (A), the subsection corresponding to the reported charge. See the Ohio Revised Code’s sexual-battery provision and the Ohio Revised Code’s voyeurism provision.
What prosecutors allege
WLWT reported that the complaints allege Hill forced sexual contact with multiple patients at the hospital. At arraignment, prosecutors described allegations of unwanted touching of breasts and genitalia, unwanted oral sex and watching victims shower. Four people have accused Hill, according to the station’s report.
According to WLWT, Cincinnati police went to the 2400 block of Kipling Avenue on Monday after reports involving a health professional and patients.
State oversight of psychiatric hospitals
Ohio law requires the state to inspect and license hospitals that receive people with mental illnesses and makes those hospitals subject to on-site review, according to Section 5119.33 of the Ohio Revised Code.
Patient rights and complaints
Ohio administrative rules require an inpatient psychiatric provider’s patient-rights specialist to help patients and family members exercise their legal rights and resolve complaints, according to Ohio Administrative Code Rule 5122-14-11. This is a general safeguard; it does not establish whether anyone made a complaint at Glenwood.
Court proceedings
WLWT reported that the judge set Hill’s bond at $55,000, with electronic monitoring, no contact with the alleged victims and no return to the hospital. Hill denied the allegations through a defense attorney; the hospital did not comment to the station. The case is scheduled to go before a grand jury on November 5, according to WLWT.
