It turns out that some nurses do not live by patient confidentiality agreements.
Police are charging a male nurse for secretly videotaping eight female patients at a dermatology center in Bucks County, Pa. Officials charged James Close, 45, on Feb. 27 with 43 criminal counts, including child pornography. Police identified this charge after finding Close recorded a 17-year-old female while she was receiving phototherapy at Penn Medicine Dermatology.
After noticing a cell phone lying under the curtain of her treatment area, the 17-year-old victim realized the criminal act. During the treatment, doctors required her to be naked because phototherapy uses light to treat physical or mental illnesses.
Police Chief Kenneth Coluzzi said she was the youngest of the victims.
“When she came out of the phototherapy, she was kind of really upset and freaking out,” Coluzzi said. “She thought her privacy was protected.”
Police initially arrested Close on Feb. 13 after the young victim identified his actions. Afterward, an investigation team found that Close secretly recording seven other patients since January. Their ages range from 17 to 17 years old. Additionally, he had a total of 18 videos on his iPhone, all filmed without knowledge or consent.
Coluzzi said that Close conducted this criminal act several times to each victim while employed at Penn Medicine Dermatology. The University of Pennsylvania oversees the dermatology center and is cooperating with local police.
At his preliminary arraignment Tuesday morning, the judge set Close’s bail for $150,000. Accordingly, Close, a father of a 16- and 7-year-old, told the judge he does not have the money to post bail, regardless of the amount.
Furthermore, if Close is able to post bail before his next hearing, the judge banned him from having any contact with the victims or unsupervised contact with anyone under 18 years old. His next hearing is scheduled for March 21 at 9 a.m.
