The Anchorage District Attorney’s Office has dismissed charges against a 56-year-old hospital security guard accused of assaulting a teenage girl.
In mid-July, John Giacalone was arrested for first- and second-degree sexual assault after he was accused of sexually assaulting a 17-year-old girl at Alaska Regional Hospital, where he worked as a part-time, as-needed security officer.
The Anchorage Police Department investigated the alleged assault. Initially, the District Attorney’s Office thought there was probable cause to back up the charges, said Jenna Gruenstein, assistant district attorney.
“Rarely we are able to do all of the investigation at the beginning, often more information becomes available or more follow up is done,” she said.
But after further investigation and reviewing all the evidence, the Anchorage District Attorney’s Office says there is “substantial doubt” as to what occurred.
“As we developed more evidence, we found more information, it brought to light serious concerns as to whether the events happened as they’d been initially alleged,” Gruenstein said.
Security footage showed Giacalone approaching the girl in an ER waiting room. A camera did not capture footage of where they walked, according to the dropped charges.
In a prepared statement, Julie Taylor, Alaska Regional CEO, said the hospital has confidence in the investigation and the state’s conclusion.
“We take the security of our patients and everyone on our campus very seriously and we are relieved that the thorough investigation resulted in the dismissal of all charges,” Taylor said in the statement.