A former nurse at Torrance State Hospital is accused by state police of having regular sexual encounters with a patient over seven months last year, according to court papers.
The encounters between Dana R. Coxon, 40, and the patient, in his mid-20s, were video recorded and photographed on a cellphone Coxon provided him, police said.
Coxon, who has addresses in Penn Township, Greensburg and West Virginia, was arraigned Tuesday on charges of institutional sexual assault and contraband.
The allegations were reported by officials at the Derry Township psychiatric hospital in September after Coxon was seen entering a bathroom in a building where she didn’t work, and the patient going in shortly after, according to court papers. Coxon carried a shopping bag into the bathroom and the patient could be seen on security video leaving with items in his pockets, police said.
A cellphone was found in the patient’s room and police reported finding videos and pictures of sex acts between him and Coxon, according to court papers.
The patient was in a treatment program designated for criminal sex offenders and Coxon met him while working on that unit, according to court filings. He told troopers that he and Coxon met about three times a week in the bathroom and she would often provide him with outside food and drink.
Coxon’s attorney did not return a message Tuesday. Her bail was set at $10,000. She was being held at the Westmoreland County Prison. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for March 4.
The State Board of Nursing earlier this month temporarily suspended Coxon’s nurse’s license, according to documents filed with the Department of State.
She was licensed as a registered nurse in 2014 and was hired at Torrance in May 2024. She has since resigned, according to filings.
