A 24-year-old ambulance attendant from Riverside County who groped and solicited sex from a teenage girl and another female victim while they were in transit to hospitals was sentenced Thursday to two years in state prison.
Jason Dean Anderson of Wildomar in January admitted two counts of sexual battery on a restrained person for the purpose of arousal under a plea agreement with the Riverside County District Attorney’s Office. In exchange for his admissions, prosecutors dropped two related charges against Anderson.
During a hearing Thursday at the Southwest Justice Center in Murrieta, Superior Court Judge John Monterosso certified the terms of the plea deal and imposed the sentence stipulated by the prosecution and defense.
In addition to imprisonment, the judge ordered that the former emergency medical technician register as a sex offender as one of the conditions of his parole. Under California Penal Code section 290, registration bars offenders from working around kids and limits where they can go.
According to sheriff’s officials and court papers, the first alleged assault occurred on a young woman identified only by her initials, “S.Z.,” on March 6, 2022, when she was retrieved by an American Medical Response ambulance for transportation to Temecula Valley Hospital.
Her specific medical needs weren’t disclosed. Anderson was riding in the back of the ambulance and made unwanted verbal and physical advances, according to court documents.
The second incident involved a teenager identified only as “B.P.” on the afternoon of March 18, 2022. Anderson again was assigned to the patient compartment as the girl was transported to Del Amo Behavioral Health System in Torrance for reasons not divulged in documents.
Sheriff’s Sgt. Frank Tiburzio said that during the ride, Anderson assaulted the girl, seeking sex acts from her inside the vehicle.
The victim reported the assault soon afterward, prompting an investigation. Roughly a week later, Anderson was arrested without incident at his residence in the 34300 block of Tanisha Court.
AMR released a statement in April 2022, saying that an “internal investigation” was immediately initiated after the defendant’s supervisors were informed of the incidents.
He was first suspended from his position and later terminated.
Anderson had no documented prior felony or misdemeanor convictions.
AMR is under contract with the county for emergency services countywide.