TOPEKA, Kan. — A nurse who has been charged with sexually assaulting three patients from Providence Medical Center is now in more trouble.
Wyandotte County charges filed against Dennis Clark have been amended. Instead of three, there are now four charges against four victims in this aggravated sexual battery case.
While the court records have been sealed, the Kansas State Board of Nursing license revocation paperwork gives us an insight into what Clark is accused of.
“Like anything else, our investigations are evidence based, and there has to be evidence to show that he is culpable,” said Alma Heckler, assistant attorney general of the nursing board.
Heckler says the aggravated sexual battery charges against Clark were enough to revoke his license.
“These are individuals that are working, licensed in the state of Kansas and it is our duty to ensure the safety of the people of the state of Kansas,” she explained.
In a report, the Kansas State Board of Nursing based its decision on allegations made by the first three victims at Providence Medical Center in Kansas City, Kansas.
We won’t go into the graphic detail in the report, but the first victim was a psychiatric patient who accused Clark of simulating sex. The second patient said she was sexually assaulted. The third victim said Clark touched her inappropriately while she was in recovery.
While these are just charges, the nursing board did not wait for him to be found guilty in a court of law.
“He has to be proven beyond a reasonable doubt, guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. Our burden is a little bit lower than that,” Heckler said.
This is not the first time the board of nursing has heard Clark’s name. In the report, they cite two complaints they received against Clark from when he worked at Menorah Medical Center. Both were allegations of sexual assault. His license was not revoked because:
“His participation could not be substantiated,” Heckler said.
Clark was never criminally prosecuted for those either, but because the accusations from the patients at Menorah Medical Center are so similar to the charged cases of the patients from Providence Medical Center, the Overland Park Police Department has re-opened their investigation into the Menorah Medical Center cases.
The Kansas State Board of Nursing has not had any inquiries from the nursing board in Missouri. FOX 4 called there Wednesday afternoon to inquire about Clark’s license in that state, and was transferred to the investigator’s office. As of now, the message has not been returned.
