Two people, including an employee of Northeast Georgia Medical Center's Gainesville campus, were arrested earlier this week amid allegations of a sexual assault against a patient at the hospital.
Gainesville Police Lieutenant Kevin Holbrook said the incident happened in March after the patient was brought to the hospital following a crash in Braselton. The incident involved now-former NGMC equipment technician Matthew Philip Koch, age 44, as well as Mai Kim Tran, who was not an employee of the hospital.
"While at the hospital, Tran solicited Matthew Koch into (the patient's) room, at which point, the sexual battery occurred," Holbrook said. "This was a case in which Koch and Tran were acquaintances to each other, involved in some type of a relationship, and that relationship led to the sexual battery."
Holbrook said the victim and Tran knew each other, but he said it was unclear if Koch knew the victim. Holbrook added that the crime was not believed to be random, but said additional details could not be released due to the ongoing investigation.
Northeast Georgia Health System officials confirmed Friday that Koch was employed by NGHS since 2009. He was placed on administrative leave by the health system on March 14 after Gainesville Police investigators contacted NGHS about the incident. Koch was ultimately terminated by NGHS on Monday, April 21.
Tran was released from the Hall County Jail on $9,200 bond Thursday night. As of Friday afternoon, Koch remained jailed without bond on charges of sexual battery and sexual assault against a patient.
