Man sexually assaults stroke patient, then hides naked in trash can, Georgia cops say
A man accused of stripping naked and sexually assaulting a stroke patient as she slept in a hospital room remains behind bars, Georgia police said.
Investigators said Shamon Pearce, 24, hid in a trash can for more than an hour after the frightening incident at Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta.
Pearce was arrested on charges including sexual battery in the Sept. 27 attack, first reported by WSB-TV.
He told police he “was high and smoking drugs” before he “tackled” the woman and got in bed with her, adding he “was just trying something new,” according to the incident report obtained by McClatchy News.
McClatchy News reached out to Grady Memorial Hospital for comment Friday, Oct. 4, and was awaiting a response.
Hospital staff first spotted Pearce on an elevator and said he lit what they thought was a cigarette but turned out to be a crack pipe, the report said.
Staffers got off the elevator with Pearce and alerted hospital security, authorities said. However, the “suspicious” man is accused of sneaking away as they waited for security to arrive.
Moments later, a nurse heard a commotion coming from a patient’s room and ran to see what happened, according to the report. Police said she “immediately” saw Pearce and the female patient “both naked on the floor.”
The nurse “captured images from her phone while calling for other nurses to respond,” police said. “They attempted to lock Mr. Pearce inside the room to prevent him from escaping, however, he was too strong and overpowered them.”
Pearce fled the room, still naked, as nurses chased after him, according to police. They lost him when he darted into a stairwell, police said.
Security video showed Pearce in the basement, where authorities said he hid in a garbage can for over an hour. He used a hospital gown he found in the bin to cover up before leaving the hospital, according to police.
Officers eventually caught him underneath a nearby bridge, the report said.
Back at the hospital, police spoke with the patient, who they said was recovering from a stroke. The 47-year-old told police she had seen Pearce at the hospital a few times but didn’t know him personally.
She said she awoke to find the strange man trying to pull a cover over her head, per the incident report. He became aggressive when she questioned him, and then he climbed on top of her, she said.
They both tumbled from the bed as she fought him off, police said, and screamed for help.
The woman hit her head when she fell and complained of leg pain, according to the report. Pearce’s clothing and a suspected crack pipe were later recovered from the hospital room, police said.
Grady Memorial Hospital addressed the incident in a statement, telling WSB-TV, “The safety of our patients, staff, and visitors is our top priority. Grady will be taking additional steps to enhance security measures throughout the hospital.”
The changes include locking all in-patient rooms and requiring a badge for entry, installing a “robust” visitor management system and beefing up security overall, the station reported.
Pearce remained in custody at the Fulton County Jail on a $10,000 bond as of Oct. 4, online records show.
This story was originally published October 4, 2024 at 11:50 AM with the headline "Man sexually assaults stroke patient, then hides naked in trash can, Georgia cops say."