TAMPA, Fla. — A doctor charged with multiple sex crimes in Washington state was investigated by Tampa Police four years ago after a Tampa General Hospital patient reported allegations of sexual misconduct.
The alleged victim tells the ABC Action News I-Team that she believes local police failed her and put other patients at risk.
“I cry at night. I do have nightmares,” Shavaria Webb-Green said.
Green said her nightmares started after a visit to the Tampa General Hospital emergency room on July 29, 2018.
The University of South Florida Medical School resident Dr. Josiah Hill was her treating physician.
A video from six years earlier posted on the USF Healthcare website shows the day Dr. Hill received his white coat and took an oath “to do no harm.”
"We’ve all had a long journey to get here. It’s very exciting,” Hill said in the video clip.
“It disgusts me,” Webb-Green said when we showed her the video.
The I-Team reviewed the Florida Board of Medicine's public records and found no complaints or disciplinary action involving Hill.
But Hill now faces charges of rape and indecent liberties for alleged sex crimes against four patients while working as an emergency physician at Olympic Medical Center in Port Angeles, WA, a coastal town with 20,000 residents close to the Canadian border.
Hill has pleaded “not guilty,” and his attorney said Hill denies any misconduct and looks forward to clearing his name.
“I was like, this is not right. I’m reporting this.”
“Something was off with him,” Webb-Green said.
She said Hill treated her after she was taken by ambulance to Tampa General Hospital for vomiting and abdominal pain.
“The nurse comes in the room and starts setting up a vaginal exam kit. And I’m like, why are you doing that if I’m here for head pain and abdominal pain?” Webb-Green said.
Shavaria later told police that Dr. Hill didn’t wear gloves and touched her inappropriately while a nurse was in the room.
“In my head, the whole time I was like, this is not right. I’m reporting this,” Webb-Green said.
Webb-Green reported the incident to patrol officers on July 30. A detective was assigned the next day but didn’t contact the alleged victim until nine days later.
The detective reviewed her medical records before going to Dr. Hill’s home on September 9, six weeks after the incident.
Dr. Hill stops the interview; the nurse denies knowledge of the incident
According to the report, “Dr. Hill requested the interview be stopped for counsel to be present.”
A criminal defense attorney called the detective, saying “he would not allow an interview with Dr. Hill.”
A nurse told the detective she did not recall the patient or the encounter but described Dr. Hill as “one of the good doctors.”
Webb-Green decided not to pursue the case.
“I cry to myself all the time because I blame myself for that,” she said. “Because I feel I feel like if I kept pushing it and pushing it and pushing it and pushing it, somebody would have believed me, and he never would have gone over to Washington state.”
Expert: “We would like to find other victims.”
Retired Los Angeles Police Lieutenant Marc Evans, a nationally recognized policing expert, said sexual assault cases are often challenging to prove.
“You have a one-on-one type of crime where you have a, 'he said, she said' situation,” Evans said.
Evans, who has investigated more than 4,000 cases, reviewed the Tampa and Port Angeles police reports.
He said successfully prosecuting sexual assault cases often depends on multiple victims coming forward.
“We want to find people who are corroborating the victim’s story. We would like to find other victims who are corroborating, 'hey, something fishy happened to me as well that I perceived as a crime,'" Evans said.
The affidavit outlines the pattern of alleged abuse involving four victims.
A Port Angeles Police affidavit said Dr. Hill groped multiple patients’ breasts and touched them in other inappropriate ways.
According to police, Hill performed a sex act on one patient drifting in and out of consciousness after a car crash.
The affidavit indicated hospital surveillance video supported some patients’ claims.
According to the affidavit, a Washington Health Department expert reviewed Hill’s prescribing records. The expert’s opinion was that Hill prescribed a combination of drugs that could potentially cause “significant physical and psychological effects.”
“They’re not credible. They have mental problems. They’re under the influence of drugs or sedated. Those are all things that could fuel a perpetrator’s belief that they could get away with something,” Evans said.
“I have issues too, mental health issues, and I’ve tried to hurt myself since this happened. I’ve tried multiple times to not be here anymore. Because I felt like nobody would ever believe me,” Webb-Green said.
In an email, Dr. Hill’s attorney Jared Ausserer said, “Dr. Hill denies any misconduct and looks forward to clearing his name. Any level of investigation will conclude these allegations are not credible, but an effort to gain financially.”
Tampa Police and Tampa General Hospital declined interview requests but sent us statements regarding the investigation into Webb-Green’s claims.
Tampa Police Statement:
“Anyone reporting a sexual assault is treated with dignity and respect, and their case is thoroughly investigated. Our detectives dedicated a considerable amount of time thoroughly reviewing the allegations made, including interviewing the individual who made the allegation, the doctor in question, a nurse who was in the room at the time of the incident, and additional hospital staff. Ultimately, the accuser asked our department not to continue with the investigation, and due to the lack of cooperation in pursuing the case further, it was administratively cleared. We encourage anyone who feels they are the victim of a sexual assault not to be afraid to speak up by calling our department or contacting the 24-hour National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-4673.”
Tampa General Hospital also provided the following statement regarding the case:
“At Tampa General Hospital, the health and safety of all patients is our highest priority. TGH has a zero-tolerance policy regarding sexual or criminal misconduct at its facilities and takes any complaints of such activity extremely seriously.
Dr. Josiah Hill received his emergency medicine training at Tampa General, where he completed the program and left to practice medicine elsewhere in June 2020. Like all health professionals who provide care at TGH, he underwent a comprehensive background check prior to seeing patients. TGH had no record of any allegations being lodged against Dr. Hill during the time he served his residency. On Tuesday, January 17, 2023, Tampa General was made aware that there was a Tampa Police complaint regarding Dr. Hill that was opened and then closed in 2018. TGH will be filing a report on this matter with state health regulators and stands ready to assist any law enforcement inquiries as needed.”
Webb-Green said Port Angeles detectives contacted her and have spoken to her multiple times.
“I give them so much props because they did better than my state did. And they investigated and they believed me,” Webb-Green said.
Dr. Hill’s bail was reduced from $1 million to $200,000, and he is now required to wear an ankle monitor. His trial is scheduled for April.
If you have a story you’d like the I-Team to investigate, email us at adam@abcactionnews.com
