A man accused of raping his quadriplegic roommate at San Francisco General Hospital last month appeared in court today to set a date for his preliminary hearing, but the matter was put over pending the review of more DNA discovery evidence, the District Attorney’s Director of Communications Erica Derryck told the Appeal.
Jovel’s next court date was pushed back to Friday, August 13 for arraignment.
Jovel, 49, is facing several charges which include one count of forced sodomy, one count of forced digital penetration, one count of forced sodomy against an incapacitated person, and one count of forced digital penetration against an incapacitated person.
The attack went unnoticed by hospital staff for six hours until the wife of the alleged victim, a 52-year-old Cantonese-speaking man, came in and noticed he was bleeding. The man had been in the hospital long-term after suffering a stroke.
San Francisco Health Director Mitch Katz told the Chronicle shortly after the assault happened that he was unsure how hospital staff did not notice the man bleeding right away.
“I don’t have an answer for that,” Katz said. “I know people went into the room and didn’t notice a problem.”
