A Florida nurse — and decorated jiu-jitsu master — was arrested this week for allegedly sexually assaulting his martial arts student inside a hospital room while on duty, according to reports.
Joel Gingery faces sexual battery and false imprisonment charges. Volusia County Jail
The jiu-jitsu master reached out to the victim to apologize for his actions. Instagram/@tridentbjjJoel Gingery, 57, who boasts several major jiu-jitsu championships and a Navy SEAL pedigree, allegedly asked one of his female students to visit him at Halifax Health Medical Center in Daytona Beach on Monday night.
The 18-year-old later told police that Gingery led her to an unoccupied on-call room in the facility, barricaded the door with a table and sexually assaulted her, according to Fox 35.
According to reports, Gingery, who owns a jiu-jitsu studio in Ormond Beach, repeatedly called the woman after the encounter to apologize.
At one point, police listened in on a call she placed to her teacher.
“I’m sorry, I put you through that. Can you forgive me?” Gingery said to the teen victim during the conversation, according to the outlet.
He later asked if she had mentioned the incident to anyone else.
The teen was a student at Gingery’s Tri-Dent BJJ in Ormond Beach and told cops that she considered Gingery a mentor.
Gingery trapped the student inside a room at Halifax Health Medical Center before allegedly assaulting her. Google MapsThe black belt, who was once featured on PBS, faces sexual battery and false imprisonment charges.
Gingery was arraigned in Volusia County on Tuesday afternoon and had his bond set at $75,000.
