As one might imagine, Coronado's version of events varies dramatically from his accusers'. He claimed Patricia Guelf and Angela Fulmer both came on to him, not vice versa, and that the day he found himself in a patient's bathroom with Fulmer, she grabbed his penis.
As for Sian Pitonzo, Rapp had an eyewitness to the breast-fondling incident, but Coronado tried to explain that away by saying it was necessary to touch patients as part of his job.
He told police: "In my position as a nursing assistant, when I have to clean, bathe patients . . . I'm not going to say I never saw Sian without clothes, because I even gave her a shower and everything. But put my penis in her mouth or touching her with another intentions, never, never."
And there was no eyewitness to the penis incident.
But Henze's client chose to plead guilty to one count of sexual abuse against Angela Fulmer. He faces up to two and a half years in prison, or as little as a year in jail. Because he pleaded guilty to a sex crime, he will have to undergo counseling and may even be registered by the state as a sex offender.
The plea agreement may not have been in Jafet Coronado's best interest, but it certainly must have pleased Good Sam. Coronado will emerge from criminal court with absolutely no record with regard to Sian Pitonzo, who is, after all, the one suing.
Samaritan Health System spokesman Dan Green makes his company's motivation in hiring Henze quite clear: "The outcome of the criminal trial could obviously have an influence on the civil case, so as a matter of a business decision, we felt that it was in our best interest to assure that Mr. Coronado had the best possible defense."
Jafet Coronado will be sentenced in criminal court November 19. The civil case is scheduled for trial in June.
On a recent fall day at her home--she now lives with her mom, Vicki Johnson--Sian Pitonzo gathers with her parents and attorney to discuss Sian's case.
Her parents are asked: What do you think about Henze's appearance on the scene?
A noise from the corner, where Sian is propped in her wheelchair. Her voice is so weak it takes several tries for her to finally be heard: "That stinks."
Sian's parents and lawyer are more loquacious. Their civil suit--which also asks for damages because of a broken leg Sian suffered at the care center when an aide dropped her in February 1995--centers on the notion that Good Sam never should have hired Jafet Coronado in the first place.
Frank Verderame says, "It just goes to show that even now, even today, they haven't learned their lesson. Instead of making Jafet Coronado take his legal lumps and go to jail for as long as the law allows, they're putting this guy back on the street in a year--and maybe expose him to somebody else--in order to protect their legal exposure."
Verderame, a successful plaintiff's attorney, knows that if he wins this case, he'll make himself a little richer. He also knows a cash award would make Sian Pitonzo's life a little easier.
Most important, he says, is the message a win would send.
"I'm going to ask the jury for justice," he says, "and I'm going to ask them to send a message to Good Sam and all the hospitals in this community, that you damn well better protect your patients. You don't take helpless people and put them in the hands of convicted felons. And then, when the convicted felon does something bad, you don't try to cover it up. You own up to it, you fess up to it, but you don't try to cover it up. You try to do the right thing.
"And Good Sam has demonstrated that unless a jury tells them how to do the right thing, it ain't gonna happen."
Vicki Johnson has kept a coffee-stained copy of a Good Samaritan Care Center brochure, produced during the time Sian lived there. Along with a description of its services and a list of "Residents' Rights," the pamphlet features black-and-white photos of smiling residents. One shot is of Sian and Vicki, laughing together. Sian is holding a stuffed animal.
Even today, more than two years after Sian Pitonzo accused an employee of sexually assaulting her, left the care center and eventually filed a lawsuit against Good Sam, those brochures are still sent to prospective clients.
Samaritan will operate cost-effectively and provide the necessary financial resources to accomplish our mission.
--from Samaritan Health System's Mission Statement
