A former operating room director at Tri-City Medical Center was found guilty Tuesday on burglary and sex-crime related charges, accused of going to a staffer’s home intending to drug her with a surgical anesthetic, then sexually assault her.
Gary Johnson, 63, faces up to seven years in prison following his conviction by a Vista Superior Court jury on charges of residential burglary and attempted sexual assault of an unconscious person. The verdict followed about a day of deliberations. Johnson, a longtime registered nurse, is slated to be sentenced in September.
Johnson showed up at the woman’s apartment carrying a condom, a key to her front door, a rag and a bottle of a general anesthetic used in surgeries, according to authorities and testimony. Her boyfriend found Johnson on her patio in the middle of the night.
Deputy District Attorney Claudia Plascencia said the prosecution is “satisfied with the jury’s verdicts, which reflect this defendant’s heinously reckless and dangerous actions that seriously endangered the victim.” She called it “the most traumatic night” of the victim’s life, and said the jury delivered the victim justice.
Johnson’s attorney, Peter Blair, noted Tuesday that the jury deliberated for more than a day, and that there were a number of facts in dispute.
“At the end of the day, the jury considered the problematic items that Mr. Johnson had on him,” Blair said. “And there is just a lot of shock value to those that ultimately weighed in the prosecution’s favor.”
Blair said that as a medical professional, Johnson had “devoted his entire career to the health and well-being of the community.” His said his client had also once been in the military, and had “served his country honorably.”
The incident happened in the early morning of April 14, as the woman, 30 years old at the time, and her boyfriend were watching television in the living room of her apartment.
About 3 a.m., their attention was drawn her patio. Her boyfriend opened the patio drapes and found a man in dark clothes and gloves, with his face obscured. The man bolted. The boyfriend chased, tackled and pinned him — but not before the man threw aside a bottle of anesthesia typically used before and during surgery. Police arrived and arrested the man, whom they identified as Johnson.
The woman testified at the preliminary hearing that Johnson was not her direct supervisor, but was higher than her in the hospital hierarchy.
She said that in the months leading up to the incident, Johnson had given her pricey gifts, sent her flowers, and helped her with groceries, and said the two of them sometimes shared time together outside work. She testified that he professed love for her, but she made it clear they were only friends.
Plascencia said the woman made her boundaries clear in text exchanges with Johnson.
The prosecutor also said there was evidence presented that the anesthesia had been taken from Tri-City.
No one from the hospital could be reached for comment about the case late Thursday.
Johnson remains jailed without bail.
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