Central Regional worker accused of assaulting young patient

A Granville County magistrate issued warrants for Hilbert Reddick, 51, of Durham, on charges of assault of a child under 12 and assault on a handicapped person. The warrants were sent to Durham for officers to arrest Reddick, but he wasn't in custody as of Monday afternoon.

The charges stem from an alleged assault on Feb. 8 at the hospital's John Umstead campus, which is where adolescent patients are treated. No other details were immediately available.

Department of Health and Human Services officials investigated the allegations and found them to be unsubstantiated, spokesman Brad Deen said. Federal investigators and Butner police also found no wrongdoing, he said.

Warrants were issued after the patient's mother pressed her case with the Granville County District Attorney's Office.

Reddick has worked at Central Regional since February 2006. He was placed on investigatory leave with pay on Monday morning, which is standard procedure when employees have been accused of wrongdoing, Deen said.

Federal investigators discovered this month that another Central Regional employee assaulted a patient and that other issues were not in compliance. As a result, the hospital was in jeopardy of losing federal funding.

Hospital officials said Friday that inspectors were satisfied that the hospital's safeguards and policies were in compliance.