A Novato man was charged with raping a patient at a San Rafael care home where he worked as a hospice nurse.
San Rafael Police Sergeant Michael Andre Cipe said evidence-based DNA testing in the case linked suspect Michael Andre Cipe, 65, to the crime. Justin Graham.
The alleged crime was reported in September at Kogil, San Rafael Memory Care, 111 Marydale Road. The center specializes in serving people with dementia and also offers hospice care.
The woman was tested for sexual assault, and the San Rafael Police Department obtained a search warrant to take a DNA sample from Xipe. Police sent the material to a state lab, Graham said, and its genetic profile matched Sipe.
Police arrested Xipe on May 10 following the test results. He was held in the Marin County Jail on $200,000 bail.
On Thursday, the Marin County District Attorney’s Office filed three felony charges against Shipp. One is rape against a person who is incapable of giving consent. Obscene or indecent behavior by a dependent towards a dependent. And it puts the elderly and dependent adults at risk.
Mr. Xipe will not plead guilty and will do so on May 22. He remains in custody at the county jail on Tuesday.
The public defender in his case did not respond to a request for comment.
The San Rafael Police Department has not received any other reports of potential sexual assault victims at the center. The facility has 50 patients and has a capacity of 70, according to a lab report submitted earlier this month by the California Department of Social Services.
Executive Director Susan Edwards said Xipe is no longer employed by the center and was not working at the center when the crime occurred.
The care home is one of 64 senior complexes operated by Cogir Management USA, according to the company’s website. Complexes are located in California, Arizona, Washington State, Colorado, Georgia, North Carolina, Maryland and Virginia.
Cogir Management USA administrators could not be reached for comment.
The state’s care centers are licensed and regulated by the California Department of Social Services and are obligated to notify the agency of incidents that threaten the health and safety of residents, said agency spokesman Jason Montiel. . The San Rafael Center formally reported the alleged assault to the state.
The ministry is investigating the incident, which could result in administrative sanctions against his home or Sipe, Montiel said. The ministry said it could not comment on the ongoing investigation.
