On October 19, 2022, Kyle Rasmussen, a hospital transport driver in the Gainesville/Ocala area, was arrested and charged with sexual misconduct with a mental health patient under a Baker Act Order. Rasmussen, 35, was booked into the Marion County jail and held on a $5,000 bond.
According to an arrest affidavit, an 18-year-old female reported to Ocala Police on September 22, 2022, that she was sexually battered twice by her transport driver from HCA Florida North Florida Hospital in Gainesville to Vines Mental Health Clinic in Ocala the day prior. The victim was Baker Acted and on her way to a mental health recovery center when Rasmussen pulled over two times during the trip and had sex with her on a stretcher in the back of the van without her consent. The victim told police that she told Rasmussen "no" on both occasions and tried to fight him off but was unsuccessful.
According to media reports, officers confirmed with Life Care Transport that Rasmussen did pick up the victim at the Gainesville hospital. When they contacted Rasmussen, he admitted to having sex with the patient twice, once at a gas station and once parked by a mall, but claims it was consensual. Rasmussen was adamant that the patient had kissed him both times, had undressed, and the sex was purely consensual.
During the investigation, the Gainesville Police tracked the GPS in the van and saw that he pulled over at a BP gas station for six minutes. Then Rasmussen drove to a mall in Ocala, where they had sex a second time.Officers tried to contact the victim again, but a family member said she had been admitted to another mental health facility and was possibly pregnant from the incident. Although officers cannot determine if the sex was consensual, Rasmussen abused his role and violated this statute by his own admission by having sexual intercourse with a patient who was under a mental health hold.
Horowitz Law has filed numerous sexual misconduct claims against medical professionals on behalf of patients who were inappropriately touched in their care. If you have been a victim of sexual assault or sexual battery at a medical office, hospital, or assisted living facility, or if you know someone who has, please contact our law firm at 888-283-9922 or send an e-mail to sexual abuse lawyer Adam Horowitz at adam@adamhorowitzlaw.com for a free consultation.