Former St. Luke’s patient on sex offender list accused of groping two other patients

A patient at St. Luke’s Rehabilitation Institute with a sexually violent past has been arrested on suspicion that he groped two female patients at the Spokane facility.

A nurse at the rehabilitation hospital on the lower South Hill reviewed security footage from Aug. 30 after a complaint was filed alleging that a woman was acting strangely and that something may have happened to her.

The footage showed Robert C. Sharp, a 52-year-old patient from Alaska undergoing treatment for a traumatic brain injury, entering a patient’s room and closing the door, according to court documents.

The nurse told police that she worked on the unit where Sharp was being treated since he was transferred from another Providence Health & Services hospital in Anchorage, Alaska.

The nurse researched Sharp after reviewing the footage and learned he is a registered sex offender in Alaska and is classified as a sexually violent predator. The staff at St. Luke’s, she said, was not notified of Sharp’s status as a sex offender, according to court documents.

After sharp entered the patient’s room, he straightened her blankets before sitting next to her for a few minutes. The footage then shows him inappropriately touching her, according to court documents.

The patient pushed him away and then Sharp stood up and left the room, according to the documents.

The woman is in the care of St. Luke’s after suffering a massive stroke and cannot communicate beyond speaking the words “Yes” and “No.”

Another complaint from Aug. 27 led the nurse to review additional footage showing Sharp with another female patient, according to court documents.

After reviewing the security footage, which showed Sharp entering the room, closing the door and groping the patient, the nurse called police, according to court documents.

Sharp’s doctor told police that Sharp’s actions could not be explained by his brain injury alone, according to court documents. Sharp’s prior conviction is for sexually assaulting a child in 1999.

A third surveillance video shows Sharp slapping his sister across the face, likely on the day of his arrest, according to court documents.

In a statement, St. Luke’s thanked their staff and partner agencies for taking action.

“St. Luke’s became aware of a possible situation involving a patient and immediately began investigating. We reported the incident to law enforcement and other appropriate agencies. The individual involved in this situation is no longer a patient of St. Luke’s,” the statement read.

St. Luke’s referred further questions to law enforcement due to the criminal charges involved.

Sharp is being held on a $200,000 bond, and his arraignment is scheduled for Sept. 17.