Hospital worker charged in abuse

3 weeks after a reported sex assault on a patient, the suspect quit; he was also named in the Sabock case

RALEIGH -- A state mental hospital worker recently suspended for neglecting a patient who later died has been charged with sexual abuse on the job.

Perry J. Butler, a health care technician at Cherry Hospital in Goldsboro, was charged with felony sexual offense in an institution Monday after he was accused of having sex with a patient.

Arrest records show the assault occurred Nov. 4, but Butler did not resign from his state job until Nov. 26 -- the same day a reporter filed a public information request about the incident with the state Department of Health and Human Services.

He was released from the Wayne County jail Tuesday morning on a $12,000 secured bond, records show. If convicted of the felony charge, he could face 31 months in prison.

Butler, who lives in Mount Olive, could not be reached for comment Wednesday.

The News & Observer does not generally identify those who report sexual assaults.

Butler, 36, was suspended from his job for three days in August amid the fallout from the death of patient Steven H. Sabock, who choked on his medication, hit his head on the floor and then was left sitting dazed in a chair without food, water or adequate medical care for more than 22 hours.

A security camera that recorded the neglect showed Butler playing cards, fiddling with his cell phone and being hugged and kissed by a female co-worker while Sabock sat ailing and unattended a few feet away.

Three Cherry employees who neglected Sabock were fired; Butler received the suspension and mandatory retraining.

The video footage was a key piece of evidence reviewed by federal regulators who revoked the hospital's Medicare and Medicaid funding in September, costing an estimated $800,000 a month in lost revenue.

A request Wednesday for an interview with Cherry Hospital Director Jack St. Clair received no response. The DHHS public affairs office has not released copies of the investigative report prepared by the Cherry Hospital Police Department, a public record requested more than a week ago. However, an arrest warrant for Butler is on file at the Wayne County Courthouse.

The latest abuse accusation at Cherry came less than a week after two health care technicians were convicted on assault charges for beating a patient.

Long criminal record

State personnel records show Butler, whose annual salary was $26,548, had been employed at the hospital since 1997. He has a criminal record that predates his employment there.

Butler served stints of probation for a 1989 shoplifting and a 1999 larceny, according to the N.C. Department of Correction.

He was convicted of violating the earlier probation four times, records show. In 1991, he was convicted for misdemeanor larceny and trespassing; in 1993, he was convicted for trespassing.

Butler was also found guilty on five occasions of writing worthless checks. In addition, he was convicted of driving with a license revoked after being twice charged with driving while impaired and other traffic-related violations.

DHHS conducts criminal background checks on hires for hospital jobs, though there is no policy barring hiring someone who has been convicted of a crime.