AP Photo/Matt Rourke
Lights flash on a police patrol vehicle.
A Harris County constable’s deputy is accused of assaulting three nurses, one of whom was pregnant, at the Houston Methodist Baytown Hospital last week, court documents show.
Sgt. Robert Earl Nobles Jr., 42, of the Harris County Precinct 3 Constable’s Office is facing three felony counts of assault of hospital personnel, according to Harris County court documents. He has been placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of an internal affairs investigation, the office of Precinct 3 Constable Sherman Eagleton said in a statement Monday.
“We are aware of an incident involving an employee of the Harris County Precinct 3 Constable’s Office at a local hospital,” Chief Deputy Kirk Bonsal wrote in a statement. “… Sergeant Robert Nobles has been relieved of duty and placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of the investigation.”
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A defense attorney for Nobles was not listed Monday in online court records, which show he had not been arrested for the assault charges.
On Jan. 1, the Baytown Police Department responded to a report of an assault at the Houston Methodist Baytown Hospital. Upon arrival, the responding officer spoke to three separate nurses — one of whom was pregnant — who accused Nobles of assaulting them, court documents show.
According to the charging document filed in court, Nobles was waiting in a hospital room to get an MRI when a nurse noticed that his bed alert was ringing. The nurse went to Nobles’ room, where she saw him allegedly arguing with another nurse, according to police. Nobles then allegedly made his way out of the room toward the responding nurse and “charged” at her, court documents state.
One of those nurses told officers that Nobles’ gaze was “distant as if he was detached from the world.” The nurse tried to run away, but Nobles allegedly hit her in the face, knocking her to the ground, according to court documents.
Nobles then allegedly ran toward another nurse who was 26 weeks pregnant at the time, police said. He is accused of picking up a printer and striking her with it, knocking her to the ground. Nobles then allegedly hit the nurse again in the back with a computer monitor, according to court documents.
Nobles then ran toward the ICU building, where he allegedly made contact with a third nurse. He is accused of punching her in the back of the head, causing her to briefly lose consciousness, court documents show.
Nobles was later sedated by a doctor’s orders and was detained on a gurney when police arrived, according to court documents. Police did not immediately interview Nobles because he was sedated.
It was not immediately clear why Nobles was in the hospital as a reason was not specified in court documents.
The criminal charges against Nobles were filed Jan. 1, court records show.
Assault of hospital personnel is a third-degree felony punishable by up to two years in prison and a maximum fine of $10,000.