Nurse tech sexually assaults unconscious patients at 2 Houston hospitals

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- A nurse technician has learned his fate for sexually assaulting male patients as they drifted in and out of consciousness at two Houston hospitals.

Ernesto Pedraza was sentenced Tuesday to 15 years in prison.

The Harris County District Attorney's Office said Pedraza used his access at Ben Taub and Kingwood Medical Center to sexually assault multiple men undergoing medical procedures.

Pedraza was convicted by a jury on one felony charge of sexual assault.

Prosecutors said the victims remembered Pedraza performing sex acts on them without their consent.

Both hospitals terminated Pedraza after conducting separate investigations.

"We trust hospital staff to treat us in emergencies, not take advantage of our vulnerability," said Assistant District Attorney Kaitlin Kaufmann. "Pedraza broke that trust over and over, and a jury of his peers decided he was guilty."