Plea Deal Reached for Former Nurse Accused of Sexually Battering Patients

A former nurse for Rancho Springs Medical Center in Murrieta accused of sexually battering two female patients will serve two years in prison as a result of a plea agreement reached in the case.

Paul Robert Simon, 53, of Murrieta, pleaded guilty May 17 to one count of burglary and admitted on the record that he entered a hospital room with the intent to sexually assault an incapacitated patient, according to John Hall, spokesperson for the Riverside County District Attorney’s Office.

“That admission was key in the plea agreement. This also constitutes a strike,” Hall said.

Simon had been jailed at Southwest Detention Center in Murrieta since Feb. 5, and could have faced up to nine years in prison for five felony charges including: three counts of sexual battery on a medically incapacitated person and two counts of lewd acts by a caretaker on a dependent adult.

His arrest followed an investigation by the California Department of Justice’s Bureau of Medi-Cal Fraud and Elder Abuse that began in late 2010 after it received reports about possible inappropriate or criminal activity by a nurse at the hospital.

A special agent's investigation revealed the first alleged incident occurred in April 2009 when Simon was assigned to care for a 58-year-old woman who was briefly placed on life support after being admitted to the hospital, Hall previously stated in a news release that was issued upon Simon’s arrest.

"When she awoke, she had difficulty moving her body but was mentally alert. It is alleged that Simon...went to her bedside and used the woman’s hand to masturbate him. Another time, Simon reportedly touched the same victim inappropriately during a time he was bathing her," Hall said.

The second alleged incident occurred in August 2010, when at least one other nurse reported seeing Simon reaching up a 57-year-old unconscious female patient's hospital gown and inappropriately touching her upper thigh, the investigation revealed.

Simon initially pleaded not guilty to the charges, and a jury trial has been scheduled for June 14.

“Even had he been convicted as previously charged, there was the possibility that a judge could have granted probation,” Hall said Tuesday. “The agreement was done to guarantee he received a two-year sentence in prison. This will not be a sentence served in county jail under AB 109.”

Another important aspect of the plea agreement, Hall said, is that now the victims will not have to testify before a jury.

“They were both consulted before we entered into the agreement and both were pleased with the result,” Hall said.

“Now that this plea has been completed, the state Attorney General's Office can proceed with the permanent revocation of his license. With this plea and the subsequent expected license revocation, Mr. Simon will not be able to work in the medical field.”

The legal troubles may not end there for Simon.

Court records show one of the victims has filed a civil lawsuit against Simon and Universal Health Services, the parent company of Rancho Springs Medical Center. The outcome of that case was pending. An attorney for the victim could not be immediately reached Tuesday.

At the time of Simon’s arrest in February, Rancho Springs Medical Center Spokesman Brian Connors said Simon was immediately terminated when the hospital learned of the incidents.

“...We immediately notified the proper authorities...” Connors said.