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Tuesday, August 07, 2007

OHIO COMPUTER EQUIPMENT THIEF CAUGHT LAEVING HOSPITAL Fairview Hospital assaults laid to Cleveland man - cleveland.com:

A security guard nabbed a man with a pocketful of pornography and bags of stolen electronics early Wednesday at Fairview Hospital, shortly after three patients were sexually assaulted.

Sami Farraj, 31, of Cleveland,
admitted to officers that he had stolen computer equipment, police said, but he denied attacking the women, who ranged in age from 38 to 75.

He is in City Jail on suspicion of burglary, robbery, theft and gross sexual imposition

Sex Crimes detectives opened an investigation, and rape charges could be filed, Cleveland police Lt. Thomas Stacho said.

In the attacks, a man went from room to room starting about 1 a.m. The hospital is on Lorain Avenue overlooking the Rocky River Reservation. He told one woman that he was there to give her an examination. He grabbed surgical gloves from a dispenser and began to touch her.

When his touching became inappropriate, the woman realized something was wrong and asked for a nurse.

The man ran away.

He also visited the rooms of two other patients and fondled them.

James Bellomy, a 26-year-old security guard for the hospital, was alerted to the attacks and started searching the hospital grounds.

While in the garage, he heard the elevator bell. The man inside the elevator quickly got the doors to close and took the elevator upstairs. Bellomy ran up to the second floor.

When the doors opened, he found Farraj carrying the stolen computer equipment in a plastic bag and a backpack. He had "a large quantity of pornographic material" in his pants pocket, according to the police report. He said he used the items for masturbation, according to the report.

Hospital spokeswoman Eileen Sheil said that the hospital will have extra guards on duty tonight. Officials there are looking into other ways to increase security, including adding cameras.

The hospital has previously had thefts, but nothing as serious as these attacks, she said. She stressed that the hospital already has security measures similar to other hospitals around the country.

In May and June, six complaints of sex crimes against patients were reported at University Hospitals of Cleveland.

Herman Brown, a 40-year-old employed as a nurse's aide, was arrested and charged with multiple counts of rape, kidnapping, gross sexual imposition and sexual battery. He is in County Jail awaiting trial.

To reach this Plain Dealer reporter:

gbaird@plaind.com, 216-999-4141

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