OLATHE, Kan. — Two former co-workers of a nurse now charged with the sexual battery on three people and under investigation for possible assaults on others at other area hospitals, say the accusations against Dennis Clark, 47, are not surprising to them.
Clark was charged Oct. 15 in Wyandotte County with sexual battery on three people. The assaults allegedly occurred at at Providence Medical Center from December 2013 through May 2014; the most recent alleged victim is a 22-year-old woman who was coming out of anesthesia and “incapable of giving consent because of the effect of any drug or other substance.”
One former co-worker who did not want to be identified, told FOX 4’s Shannon O’Brien that she reported Clark to her superiors at Olathe Medical Center where he was training her when she was first hired. She says he offered to exchange training for sexual favors and would say inappropriate things to her that were sexual in nature.
Olathe Medical Center would not comment on personnel issues but issued a statement that reads, in part:
“If our organization receives a complaint of inappropriate behavior, we conduct a prompt and thorough investigation and take whatever action is appropriate.”
A second woman, who also did not want to reveal her identity, said she also worked with Clark at Olathe Medical Center. She was employed there as a nurse tech from 2002 until 2008.
She says she recalls his behavior was inappropriate and she would try to avoid him.
“If I would see him down the hall, I would turn and go the other way, just to try to avoid him, avoid the situation,” she said.
She remembered how his behavior started. There were hugs at first, but then his actions and comments quickly changed and escalated to invasive and inappropriate, she said.
“He would come up to me and comment about my breasts and grab them, I mean, there were numerous occasions.”
Clark was fired from Providence Medical Center. Before working at Providence, he worked at Menorah Medical Center, 5721 W. 119th Street in Overland Park from 2010 until 2012. With the latest allegations, Overland Park Police say they have reopened two cases from 2010 and 2011 in which he was a suspect.
Both Providence and Menorah say he passed background checks.
Clark posted a $10,000 bond on Tuesday and is scheduled to appear in front of a Wyandotte County judge on December 30.
