A nurse was arrested Wednesday on suspicion of sexually assaulting three patients at a hospital in Mission Viejo, officials said.
Paul Alden Miller of San Clemente, 56, had been a registered nurse for about six years and is employed at Providence Mission Hospital, where three different women alleged the assaults took place, Orange County Sheriff’s Department officials said in a news release.
The first assault the nurse is accused of happened in March, when a 22-year-old woman reported being sexually assaulted by Miller while she was at the hospital’s emergency room.
A 68-year-old woman then reported that she was also sexually assaulted by Miller at the same location in April. Her report was followed by another in June, when a 56-year-old also accused Miller of assaulting her at Providence Hospital.
The Orange County Sheriff’s Department Special Victims Detail arrested Miller at 10:30 a.m. Wednesday on suspicion of sexual elder abuse and sexual battery. He was being held at an Orange County jail on $100,000 bail.
Miller was placed on administrative leave after the Mission Viejo hospital learned of the first incident and he has not worked at the facility since, according to a Providence Mission Hospital spokeswoman.
“Providing safe, high quality care is our utmost priority and we take patient complaints very seriously. As soon as hospital leadership received the first patient complaint, the hospital took prompt action and immediately placed the caregiver on administrative leave pending a full investigation,” the hospital said in a statement to KTLA. “…The hospital investigation resulted in prompt notification to the authorities and has been in the hands of the District Attorney’s Office.”
The hospital said it’s fully cooperating with authorities and that it has “zero tolerance for behavior that does not align with our Mission and values.”
“The possibility that one of our caregivers could have caused the slightest harm to a patient is deeply concerning,” the hospital’s statement read.
Investigators are now seeking information on any possible additional victims of Miller, who also worked at Sharp Hospital in Chula Vista from December 2014 to May 2015.
“Investigators feel there may be additional victims and are asking for the public’s help,” the Sheriff’s Department said in the news release.
Anyone with information is asked to contact the Orange County Sheriff’s Department at 714-647-7419, or submit an anonymous tip through OC Crime Stoppers at 855-847-6227 or at occrimestoppers.org.