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Bronx Psychiatric Hospital Hired Sex Offender, Didn't Realize It
By
Ben Muessig
Published Feb 5, 2010
Modified Feb 5, 2010
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By
Ben Muessig
Published Feb 5, 2010
Modified Feb 5, 2010
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Only after a 22-year-old patient at the Bronx Psychiatric Center accused an employee of sexual abuse, did the facility realize it had hired a registered sex offender. According to the Daily News, the hospital wasn't aware that therapy aide trainee John Washington had a criminal record for "lewd assault and sexual battery against an underage male," even though he checked a box on his job application noting he had been convicted of a crime. A spokeswoman noted that Washington "did not describe an assault of any nature" when asked about his record, and said "[v]erification is not a requirement." After a probe, Bronx prosecutors did not press charges against Washington, who has resigned from his job. Last week, a 14-year-old boy said an employee and another patient sexually abused him in the state-run hospital.
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