Suspect Charged After Allegedly Groping and Assaulting Nurses

(KNSI) — A 22-year-old from Marshall was arrested after allegedly groping and assaulting two nurses and making sexually-based remarks about their bodies.

According to the criminal complaint, police were called to the St. Cloud Hospital by a nurse who said they were in a patient’s room while working in the behavioral health area of the emergency room when a patient, identified in court papers as Yasir Ali Hassan, came in and said something to the effect of “I need to go to jail today.” The nurse says Hassan then came toward her, groped her, and backed her into a corner. She told investigators she ended up on the floor with Hassan on top of her, who continued to grab and touch her.

Another nurse in the same unit said she was leaving a patient’s room, and Hassan was hiding, so she couldn’t see him as she walked out. She said he came toward her and smacked her hard on her buttocks. After telling Hassan to stop, she said he hit her again even harder. She said he was blocking her from getting to safety, but another nurse hit the alarm button, and Hassan was placed in restraints.

The incident was also captured on surveillance video.

Hassan was charged with two counts of fifth-degree criminal sexual conduct.

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