DETROIT (WXYZ) — A local nurse has been charged with sexually assaulting a woman at Detroit’s DMC Sinai-Grace Hospital, and we’re sharing his photo because investigators believe more victims could be out there.
Watch Simon Shaykhet's video report:
Prosecutors will not confirm that the alleged victim was a patient, but previous allegations against Wilfredo Figueroa-Berrios involve patients at a mental health facility in Livonia.
The 47-year-old nurse was arraigned in Detroit's 36th District Court Thursday on three counts of criminal sexual conduct in the third degree and two counts in the fourth degree.
Detroit police released the photo of Figueroa-Berrios, who is accused of sexually assaulting the woman on August 18 at Sinai-Grace Hospital in Detroit.
Online records show he's been a licensed nurse since 2012.
Court records show Figueroa-Berrios was given a $50,000 personal bond and made to wear a GPS tether. With a personal bond, a defendant can be released without posting any money unless they violate conditions of their bond.
7 News Detroit visited the home of Figueroa-Berrios, but there was no answer at the door. His defense attorney also declined to comment.
Outside the hospital, 7 News Detroit Anchor Simon Shaykhet found people whose loved ones are currently or have been patients at the hospital over the years.
“It’s a lot of crazy things going on. I would never expect that to happen at a hospital," said Jesse Rodgers.
While the investigation is ongoing, prosecutors have been careful not to release more details that they say could put their case at risk.
However, police are encouraging anyone else who could be a victim to come forward.
“It’s supposed to be a safe place to go to. Not like that. I’ve never heard of that. That’s the first," said Rodgers.
While looking into the prior history of Figueroa-Berrios, Shaykhet also found charges were requested by Livonia Police for sexual assault in 2021 for a 2020 incident involving a patient at a mental health facility, but their warrant request was denied due to insufficient evidence. Another warrant request was submitted in February 2022 for a 2021 incident involving another patient at the same facility.
Livonia Police said they're still waiting for prosecutors to make a charging decision in that 2021 case.
Shaykhet asked a spokesperson for the prosecutor's office why there’s been little to no updates for more than 3 years, and in a statement regarding that case, a spokesperson said, “There were no documents in our case management system for this warrant from Livonia PD. This was recently discovered and WCPO immediately requested and received the warrant request this week from Livonia. The case is currently being reviewed. Until the review process has been completed, we cannot predict that charges will issue.”
Shaykhet did reach a family member of the defendant, who declined to talk about this but expressed surprise.
7 News Detroit reached out to DMC Sinai-Grace for comment and to find out the employment status of Figueroa-Berrios, but a spokesperson would not release any information and instead referred us to the prosecutor's office.
