Former Hospital Employee Accused Of Sexually Assaulting Underage Patient

A former employee of MedStar Franklin Square Medical Center is accused of sexually assaulting an underage patient, police said.

On Thursday, detectives arrested Donald Joseph Benson Jr., 40, of the 3400 block of Park Falls Drive in Nottingham. Benson faces numerous sex offense and child pornography charges.

Acting on a child pornography tip, detectives found explicit images of a girl being sexually assaulted. Police determined she was a patient of MedStar Franklin Square Medical Center in September 2016, when the alleged assault took place.

"The safety and care of our patients is paramount," hospital officials said in a statement. "We were appalled to learn that one of our associates is alleged to have abused a patient in our care. As soon as we heard, we terminated the associate’s employment and have offered our full cooperation to law enforcement."

At a bail review hearing Thursday, Benson was ordered held without bail. A preliminary hearing is set for March 6. Benson is being represented by a public defender.

Anyone with information about this or other incidents possibly involving Benson is asked to call police at 410-854-4650.

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WBAL-TV 11 said in a statement.