An Alaska Regional Hospital security guard, also employed by the state’s crime lab, is accused of sexually assaulting a teenage girl at the hospital early Wednesday morning.
John Giacalone, 55, is charged with first- and second-degree sexual assault. He has also worked at the Alaska State Crime Detection Laboratory as a forensic scientist for years, according to prosecutors.
The 17-year-old victim had dozed off in the ER waiting room of Alaska Regional Hospital early Wednesday when she was woken up by a man in a security uniform, later identified as Giacalone, shaking her shoulders, according to the criminal complaint. No one else was in the waiting room. The man told the girl he needed to search her and led her into a small office.
With the door shut, Giacalone told the girl he needed to check her pockets. Giacalone said she needed to take her pants off for the search and the girl asked for a female officer, according to charging documents.
When Giacalone said a female officer wasn’t available, the girl refused to remove her pants. Giacalone then pulled her pants and underwear down to her knees and allegedly sexually assaulted the girl by asking her to perform various sex acts while the girl continually tried to resist him, charges say. At one point, she punched him in the shoulder, but it didn’t seem to deter Giacalone.
Eventually, Giacalone let the girl dress herself. He touched her shoulder several times and told her it was OK, charges say. As she started walking toward the door, he grabbed her by the shoulders and told her multiple times to not tell anyone what had happened.
In security footage, Giacalone can be seen approaching the girl in the waiting room. A camera did not capture footage of where they walked. There are only two off-camera offices, one of which is the main security office. Inside the security office are three chairs, a desk and a bulletin board with papers pinned on it — which lines up with the victim’s description of the office. There isn’t a camera that points right at that security office.
Hospital management told police that it was against protocol for Giacalone to take the girl where he did and “would have had no legitimate reason to do such a thing,” the complaint says.
“We are greatly concerned about the wellbeing of the alleged victim. And as someone responsible for one of the largest hospitals in the state, and quite frankly as a mom of a young daughter, I take this very seriously,” said Hospital CEO Julie Taylor.
Taylor says patient and visitor safety is their priority and they are cooperating with police.
“The justice system will complete their part, but for us, we are constantly working on supporting a culture of safety and this involves awareness, it involves encouraging people to use their voice and speak up if they are not treated appropriately or have concerns that haven’t been addressed,” she continued.
Earlier this year, Giacalone played a role in the arrest of a former state crime lab employee when he noticed adulterated and missing drug evidence at the lab, according to charging documents. Stephen Palmer, 53, was arrested and charged with tampering with physical evidence, scheme to defraud and misconduct involving a controlled substance.
An employee since 2007, Giacalone worked as a part-time, as-needed security officer at Alaska Regional, the hospital said. At his Thursday arraignment, the court set a $250,000 performance bond and a $250,000 appearance bond. Prosecutors said the bail was set so high because his actions were predatory in nature.