Former employee arrested in sexual assault of patient at Ga. hospital

ATLANTA, Ga. - A former employee at Grady Memorial Hospital has been arrested for the alleged sexual assault of a 73-year-old patient at the hospital last October.

On Oct. 10, 2024, Eva Lay was in the hospital for a heart condition when she was allegedly assaulted by then-employee Chapple Lee, according to a police report.

Lee then cleaned her and removed the linens on her bed to cover up the crime, according to a lawsuit filed against Grady last month by Lay’s family.

Lee was a nursing support technician at the time of the sexual assault, the police report said.

According to Fulton County Jail records, Lee was arrested and booked on the following charges on Thursday:

• Abuse, neglect, or exploitation of a disabled or elderly person
• Aggravated sexual battery
• Two counts of aggravated sodomy
• Rape
• Tampering with evidence

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Lee is no longer employed by Grady, a hospital spokesperson told Atlanta News First.

The suit filed by Lay’s family accuses the hospital of negligence and failure to provide adequate security for female patients.

In a statement Friday evening, attorneys for Lay’s family said their clients are appreciative that Lee had been “arrested and charged for the horrific abuse perpetrated against her.”

“Eva Lay was a mother, grandmother, and was loved by her community. She deserved dignity, care, and respect, but instead was violated by the very individual entrusted to protect her and on her journey back to health,” said the statement from attorneys Reginald Greene, L. Chris Stewart, and Daedrea Fenwick.to release officially

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They said the family “would like to extend their deepest appreciation to the detectives and officers with the Atlanta Police Department who diligently investigated this case.”

The attorneys accused Grady of failing “in its legal and moral duty to protect one of its most vulnerable patients from this kind of unimaginable trauma,“ and claimed the hospital’s ”negligence allowed a predator to violate her in unimaginable ways.”

They added: “We intend to hold Grady Memorial Hospital accountable by all legal means necessary and help bring a measure of justice to Ms. Lay’s family, and all victims of sexual assault at medical facilities.”

Grady Memorial Hospital sent Atlanta News First the following statement on Friday night:

“When we were made aware of this allegation, we immediately reported it to law enforcement and cooperated fully with their investigation. We were told that APD found no physical evidence to substantiate this claim. The individual involved has now been arrested, and this remains an active police matter. We defer to law enforcement on any other information they wish to release officially.

Grady is committed to maintaining the highest standards of safety in every aspect of patient care."