PONTIAC, Mich. (WXYZ) — Oakland County Sheriff’s Office detectives say a man accused of sexually assaulting a young woman inside a psychiatric hospital has turned himself in to authorities Thursday evening. 7 Investigator Heather Catallo spoke exclusively with the woman’s father, who says he’s outraged that his daughter was not kept safe at the hospital.
“It’s heartbreaking,” said Patrick. The 7 Investigators are not using Patrick’s last name to protect his daughter’s identity, but this father wants answers.
“I shouldn’t have to worry about her in a hospital. She should be safe there,” said Patrick.
Patrick says his 18-year-old was sent to Pontiac General Hospital in June over concerns she would kill herself. Patrick says his daughter suffers from depression and bipolar disorder, so he has guardianship of her; that means she’s legally considered mentally incapacitated.
“She needs help,” said Patrick. He says he learned on July 14th that an employee at Pontiac General Hospital sexually assaulted his daughter.
“Instead of getting the help she needed, we have this nightmarish situation on our hands,” said attorney Ali Koussan, who represents Patrick.
“It’s very sad that this would happen to him. He sought out Pontiac General specifically to help his daughter, and now they’ve caused such a trauma to happen in her life. We don’t know how this is going to affect her down the road,” said attorney Brooke Mathis, who also represents Patrick.
Oakland County Sheriff’s detectives reviewed video from inside the hospital, and the Oakland County Prosecutor has now charged 56-year-old Kevin Darcell Blanks with three counts of 3rd-degree Criminal Sexual Conduct.
Koussan says the hospital had a duty to keep the young woman safe during her treatment.
“In Michigan, as with most states, there’s special relationships that impose heightened level of care,” said Koussan. “They’re entrusted with that care, and thus they have a high level of responsibility which they breached.”
Sheriff’s officials asked for the public’s help in finding Blanks, who they say worked as a night shift mental health technician in Pontiac General’s psychiatric unit. Blanks turned himself in to authorities around 8 p.m. Thursday, the sheriff's office said.
Pontiac General Chief Operating Officer Lalit Arora told the 7 Investigators that Blanks was removed from the psychiatric unit as soon as they were made aware of the allegations, and they terminated his employment the same day. They also said he passed his criminal background check before he was hired and had decades of experience in psychiatric care.
The COO also said they reported the alleged assault to licensing officials with the State of Michigan.
Meanwhile, Patrick has moved his daughter to a different facility.
If you have information about the incident, the Oakland County Sheriff wants you to call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-SPEAK-UP.