A Redwood City man was sentenced to nine years in state prison for sexually assaulting an elderly woman in the back of an ambulance in 2022, San Mateo County District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe said.
Miguel Ontiveros pleaded no contest to forcible oral copulation and felony sexual battery in May and will be a registered sex offender for life, Wagstaffe said. He also pleaded no contest to embezzlement for fraudulently clocking in work hours and receiving over $15,000 for hours he didn’t work.
“All the decades I’ve been in the business, this is one of the most perverted sexual assault cases I have ever seen,” Wagstaffe said. “He was lucky to just get nine years.”
On Dec. 23, 2022, Ontiveros was on duty with his partner as paramedics for AMR when they were dispatched to Colma Skilled Nursing Home to transport a 76-year-old woman who had fallen to the San Mateo Medical Center. While Ontiveros’ partner was driving the ambulance on Interstate 280, Ontiveros sexually assaulted the woman. The partner reported the crime to her supervisor immediately, according to the DA’s Office.
Charges against Ontiveros for another allegation of similarly sexually assaulting an 80-year-old woman were not filed due to “lack of corroboration,” according to the DA’s Office.
AMR was sued in June 2023 for the crimes. The lawsuit said the company knew the paramedic was a threat to the public but continued to employ him anyway.
The victim did not receive restitution because she and her family are pursuing civil litigation, Wagstaffe said. Victim impact statements were not given for the same reason.
A spokesperson for AMR previously said in an email the company “does not comment on ongoing or pending litigation.” After Ontiveros was arrested, AMR terminated him and the company fully cooperated with law enforcement, a representative said.
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