PORTLAND — A 38-year-old male registered nurse accused of sexually assaulting at least three women who sought treatment at the Legacy Emanuel Medical Center emergency room was arrested Wednesday, police said.
Jeffrey McAllister was arrested for investigation of two counts of first-degree rape, four counts of first-degree sodomy and multiple counts of sex abuse.
The alleged assaults involved three patients in private rooms in the emergency room area between September 2012 and April, The Oregonian reported.
Legacy personnel say McAllister was fired in April.
Hospital spokeswoman Amber Shoebridge said the hospital was cooperating with police.
McAllister was held on $2.26 million bail, with a Circuit Court appearance scheduled Thursday. It was not known Wednesday night whether he had a lawyer.
“We’re definitely very concerned there may be more victims,” said police Sgt. Pete Simpson. “There might be more women out there who might have been afraid to report it. The victims he chose were people who maybe wouldn’t be the most believable perhaps because of their lifestyle or addiction issues.”
McAllister worked at Legacy as an emergency room technician from 2005 to 2008 and as a registered nurse in the emergency room from 2008 to 2013, police said.
The investigation began after a patient reported that a nurse had inappropriate sexual contact with her in a private room in the emergency area in April. Police detectives and an Oregon State Board of Nursing investigator identified additional victims, Simpson said.
As of Wednesday, the nursing board had not taken any disciplinary action against McAllister, spokeswoman Barbara Holtry said.
McAllister also worked with Providence St. Vincent Medical Center in Portland and Mid-Columbia Medical Center in The Dalles. He’s been placed on administrative leave at both facilities, police said.
The man previously worked as a police officer in the Oregon communities of Beaverton and Seaside and as a reserve officer for the Independence Police Department, police said.
