Former Jenkintown urgent care worker arrested for sex assault; more victims possible
ABINGTON TOWNSHIP, Pa. (CBS) - A medical assistant is facing charges after he allegedly impersonated a licensed nurse and sexually assaulted two patients at a Montgomery County urgent care, Abington Township police said Monday.
Ramon Garcia, a former medical assistant at Carbon Health Urgent Care in Jenkintown, was arrested Monday afternoon while at work. Garcia was charged with sexual assault and invasion of privacy for his role in two incidents in the past month at the urgent care.
The first incident reported to police on March 1 involved a woman who said she went to the urgent care for a pre-employment drug test. Police said Garcia, who's from Philadelphia, told the woman she was randomly selected to be observed during her drug test, where she would have to pee in a cup.
After he allegedly watched the woman provide her sample, he gave her his phone number and proceeded to ask her out on a date, police said. Abington Township police had already been investigating this incident when a second report involving Garcia came in.
Just nine days later, another woman told police she had been inappropriately touched during a procedure at the same Carbon Health Urgent Care.
In the second incident, Garcia allegedly identified himself as a nurse and took her to an examination room. Police said he then asked her to undress and put on latex gloves and conducted a pelvic exam. After this, she got redressed and Garcia later helped her take off her pants and began to touch her again, according to police.
The woman told police when Garcia moved his head toward her pelvic area, she said no, proceeded to get dressed and left.
"It's pretty sickening if I say so myself. My boss told me about it earlier today. I just couldn't believe it," a man who works nearby Carbon Health said.
Police said Garcia then asked her if she was in a relationship and if she had any fantasies. He allegedly gave her his phone number on the back of a business card before she left the urgent care.
"I'm just happy that they reported it and had the guts to go to the police station and report it," a woman who works in the area said. "Otherwise you don't know how many other women he's done this to."
Officials said at least one other Carbon Health employee was in the building at the time of both alleged incidents. At this time, they believed the other employee was unaware of what Garcia was doing.
The next morning, following the second woman's report, Abington Township detectives and officials with the Montgomery County DA's Office began surveilling Garcia as soon as he arrived at Carbon Health on Monday.
Law enforcement arrested Garcia when he left the urgent care to go on his lunch break at around noon. He is currently in custody at Montgomery County Correctional Facility.
When Garcia was arrested Monday, investigators said he originally identified himself to them as a nurse. Detectives then found out he was a medical assistant and his job responsibilities included signing in patients, taking vitals and, if instructed by a medical professional, taking blood samples.
Police said Garcia is not trained, instructed, or permitted to conduct either of the kinds of examinations or tests that he did with both of the women. Garcia is also expected to be charged with impersonating a licensed official, police said.
Carbon Health provided the following statement to CBS News Philadelphia Monday night:
We were made aware today of serious allegations regarding sexual misconduct against a Medical Assistant at our Jenkintown, PA location. We were shocked by these allegations. We can share that this individual is no longer employed at Carbon Health. We are fully cooperating with law enforcement and other relevant authorities.
The safety, well-being, and trust of our patients are our highest priorities. We are dedicated to maintaining a safe and respectful environment for everyone who seeks care at our facilities.
We understand the impact this news may have on our patients and the community, and we want to reassure everyone that we are unwavering in our commitment to uphold the highest standards of safety and integrity. We encourage anyone with concerns or information related to this matter to come forward and report to law enforcement.
Police believe there could be more victims because Garcia has worked at Carbon Health since July 2023 and originally worked at other locations in Montgomery Township and Dresher.
Abington Township police said due to conversations they had with Garcia after his arrest, they are very concerned there are still additional victims out there who have yet to come forward.
"We're asking anyone who feels they had any kind of negative contact whatsoever with Mr. Garcia or anyone else down at this Carbon Health Center -- not that we expect anyone else is involved. But if you had any negative contact with this gentleman, Ramon Garcia, we ask that you please contact Detective Jeff Andersen," Abington Township Police Detective Lt. Steve Fink said.
Garcia was arraigned Monday evening and his bail was set at $99,000. He's scheduled for a preliminary hearing for next week, officials said.
Anyone with any information regarding the investigation into Garcia is asked to contact Detective Jeff Anderson with the Special Victim's Unit at (267)536-1102 or janderson@abingtonpa.gov.