Convicted Sex Offender Arrested After Tulsa Patient Reports Sexual Battery

Wednesday, April 9th 2014, 5:50 pm

By: News On 6

A convicted sex offender is back behind bars after being arrested for sexual battery.

A woman getting treatment at a local rehab facility told police a medical technician came into her room and touched her inappropriately.

Detectives said they already were looking for the same man for failing to register as a sex offender.



Stafeno Wartson worked at 12 & 12, a facility that treats alcoholism and drug addiction.

"What's sort of ironic is the detectives that were assigned this case were also getting ready to go out and do compliance checks and he was on our list that night," Sex Crimes Unit Sgt. Mark Mears said.

Detectives arrested Medical Technician Wartson after he was sent home from 12&12.

Wartson now is being held on a $14,000 bond at the Tulsa County Detention Center.

A female patient being treated at the rehab facility told police Wartson went in to her room twice, "started rubbing her neck, licked her on the ear, brushed his hands against her body."

The patient reported the incident to the facility and detectives with the Tulsa Police Department's Sex Crimes Unit responded.

"Obviously, he was a caretaker, and that concerns us a great deal when that happens," Mears said.

Detectives said Wartson failed to register as a Level 3 sex offender In Tulsa.

After Wartson's arrest, 12&12 fired him.

The State of Oklahoma gives the Level 3 status to offenders who "pose a serious danger to the community and will continue to engage in criminal sexual conduct."

The facility 12 & 12 said Wartson gave them wrong information and lied about his identity.

It issued this statement when police arrested Wartson:

"12 & 12, Inc., a comprehensive recovery center for persons dealing with alcoholism and drug addiction, is cooperating with the Tulsa Police Department in the investigation of an alleged assault on one of its clients. The alleged incident occurred in the early morning hours of Saturday, April 5, 2014.

Karen Walker, Director of Compliance for the facility, states: "One of our clients notified us Saturday of an incident of alleged inappropriate touching by one of the Technicians at the facility. 12 & 12 immediately suspended this Technician and began to investigate the matter. We learned that this Technician had lied to 12 & 12 about his identity, and provided us false information. He also supplied false documents, and had evaded registering as a sex offender, so that when a criminal background check was performed no offenses were shown. This Technician has been fired by 12 & 12 and we are cooperating with the Tulsa Police Department in the investigation of this incident. 12 & 12 will continue to take action to assure the safety and security of its clients."

The Oklahoma Department of Corrections documents show Wartson varies the spelling of his name in nine ways.

Records show he received probation for rape charges in the 1990s and was sent to prison for assault and battery.

Records also show he is on a 5-year suspended sentence for failing to register as a sex offender in Muskogee County.

"This particular person is obviously a recividist, and that's why we're here to look for those guys," Mears said.