San Diego

Police arrested a Clairemont man Thursday as a suspect in an assault on a comatose 11-year-old patient at a rehabilitation facility.

Noel Allie Sanchez, 22, an employee at the Lake Erie Institute of Rehabilitation on Alvarado Road since it opened in August, was booked on suspicion of felony child molestation and rape with a foreign object.

The girl was molested sometime between midnight and 6 a.m. Dec. 24, police said Thursday.

Staff members noticed irregularities and contacted a doctor the same day, said Patricia Lojewski, executive vice president of the facility. “We consistently acted in our patient’s best interest,” Lojewski said.

“I was absolutely shocked that (the suspect) was one of our staff, but I’m happy that an arrest was made,” Lojewski said. “I’m also happy that it was our staff that noticed that something wasn’t quite right and notified the authorities.”