JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A former hospital security guard has been arrested and charged with five counts of misdemeanor battery after five employees at Memorial Hospital accused him of assaulting them on the job.
Anthony Holley, 47, was arrested Saturday, and if convicted could face up to a year in the Duval County jail on each count, the State Attorney's Office said.
News4Jax has been looking into these allegations since October, but police and prosecutors asked that they not be reported until an arrest was made.
Debra Green, who'd been a nurse at Memorial Hospital in Jacksonville for nearly 17 years, said Holley attacked her in the emergency room of the hospital in July. Since Green came forward, four other women have made similar allegations.
Holley, who was working as a contracted security guard, denies the allegations, according to his attorney, Reid M. Hart of the Law Offices of John M. Phillips. Holley turned himself in Saturday afternoon.
"We find it disturbing that Ms. Green and her lawyer have involved the media in this case to publicly attack Mr. Holley's reputation and character," Hart said in a statement to News4Jax. "Mr. Holley is 100 percent innocent, and we look forward to defending his honor in a court of law, not the court of public opinion."
The allegations against Holley are spelled out in documents that a confidential source -- who is not Green -- sent to News4Jax in October.
According to a police report, Green claimed Holley "picked her up … and attempted to place her on a bed in the room … (he) then kissed the victim on the mouth … stuck his hands down the back of the potential victim's pants and grabbed her buttocks."
Green told News4Jax the alleged experience was traumatizing and left her emotionally scarred, but she thinks it's important to let other people know what happened.
"It's horrible, it's horrific," Green said. "He is there for patient safety. He is also supposed to be there for our safety. … I was not safe. I was not safe to be around him. No sir."
Green said she had seen Holley around the hospital and had some brief interactions with him, but she didn't know his name when the alleged incident occurred.
Holley was a contract worker hired by Yale Enforcement Services and Memorial Hospital fired him right after Green came forward with her allegations. He has also been fired from Yale Enforcement. After Green, four more women, whom News4Jax is not identifying, came forward to detectives, claiming the security guard did similar things to them.
One woman said he "picked her up by the waist and attempted to kiss her and stated 'you need to give me those digits,'" according to a police report.
Another employee said she and Holley were in an elevator together when he "got on top of her and squeezed her really tight. He then placed his hands on her buttocks ... (and) tried to force his tongue down her throat," the police report said.
A fourth accuser claimed Holley cornered her in a supply room and grabbed her privates, telling her, "Girl, I'm security, I know where all the cameras are," according to a police report.
The fifth woman's claims haven't been made public yet.
"They were afraid to come forward," Green said. "Initially, I didn't want to file a report. I wanted to go home. I didn't want to do anything. I just wanted to go home. You are terrified when something horrific happens to you, and I think that is why you look at the rates, what is it, 90 percent of assaults and rapes go unreported because of what you have to go through, the way people look at you, possible termination from your job, dealing with the husband, your kids."
Green said she's now lost her job at the hospital because she said she took too much time off to recover emotionally. She said in the 6½ months since it happened, administrators never let other employees know about the allegations.
Green said she hopes "Mr. Holley gets what he deserves" and that the State Attorney's Office "will stand for women's rights."
"I want women to know, 'Don't let that stop you. Come forward. Stand up for yourself. Stand up for other women. It's horrible; it's horrific, but come forward,'" Green said.
Administrators at Memorial wouldn't comment on camera but sent a statement to News4Jax:
"Memorial Hospital strives to provide a safe work environment and has zero tolerance for any such behavior. Once we learned of the allegations, we immediately removed the individual in question (a contract employee) from working at the hospital, notified his employer, and contacted local authorities to thoroughly investigate the allegations. We continue to support our employees and the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office in this investigation."
That joint investigation by JSO and the State Attorney's Office continues.
According to police reports, Holley, who was released on $50,000 bond shortly after his arrest, has also worked as a security guard at EverBank Field. News4Jax is waiting to hear back about his employment status.
The date for Holley's arraignment has not yet been set.