Bail increased for man suspected in UMC stolen rings

Wednesday, July 9, 2003 | 9:47 a.m.

The bail for Eduardo Licon, a University Medical Center worker charged with stealing rings off the fingers of a cancer patient, was increased by $21,000 to $57,000 in the wake of sexual assault charges being filed this week.

The two counts of sexual assault and one count of open and gross lewdness stem from another patient who said she was fondled while she was in the hospital in June for treatment of stomach ailment, said Metro Police Sexual Assault Sgt. Chris Darcy.

"She was laying down and was weak" when she was assaulted, Darcy said, noting that the two sexual assault counts stem from two different times during the hospital visit.

Licon, 43, who worked in hospital's the X-ray department, was arrested June 25 on charges of robbery of a victim over 65 and possession of stolen property. A second theft stemming from Licon's job later was added to the charges.

The third incident occurred on June 17 -- two days before the two alleged thefts -- but was not reported until June 21.

"It is not uncommon for victims to wait several days after an incident to report it," Darcy said. "Victims often do not know what to do or where to go and often are scared or confused."

Darcy said police questioned Licon about the sexual assault incident an that he "made a statement and from that we believed there was enough to file charges."

Clark County Detention Center records show that Licon was held on $13,000 bail for the theft of a victim over 65 charge and an additional $3,000 bail for possession of stolen property. That amount was increased by $10,000 for grand larceny and by $10,000 more for a second count of possession of stolen property stemming from the other alleged theft.

Jail records show that the two counts of sexual assault increased the bail by $20,000 and the gross lewdness charge added another $1,000 to the bail.

To get out of jail, Licon would have to post either $57,000 in cash or surety or $72,000 worth of property, jail officials said.

Licon allegedly told a female cancer patient on June 19 that she needed X-rays and she had to remove her rings, Metro Police said. When the victim refused, Licon allegedly pulled three rings off her fingers. The second alleged theft also was reported on June 19.

Hospital officials said in late June that Licon was suspended while an internal investigation was being conducted, and that his termination was pending.

"Because he is in custody, we have not been able to give him written notice (of potential termination), so he is still on suspension," UMC spokeswoman Cheryl Persinger said today.

"Before he was hired, we had Metro Police conduct a background check on him and found showed nothing."

Licon has been employed by UMC for two years. He has worked as a radiological services technician. Those duties include moving and positioning patients for X-rays but not actually performing the X-rays.

Persinger said the hospital has notified its nursing staff that as "a first line of defense" they should be on guard to help prevent future incidents. Patients who believe they may have been victimized are encouraged to call police.