Langley man charged after alleged sexual assault on WhidbeyHealth nurse

Robert J. Dugger, a Langley man, was charged June 30 in Island County Superior Court with assault in the third degree with sexual motivation after prosecutors alleged he assaulted a licensed nurse inside WhidbeyHealth Medical Center’s emergency room.

Court records say Dugger arrived at the hospital with a blood-alcohol level above 0.53, so high that staff could not safely discharge him right away. A deputy’s report says the nurse told law enforcement that Dugger became argumentative, made crude comments about her body and grabbed her breast, then continued making sexual comments after the contact. Dugger denied wrongdoing.

The case puts a frontline health worker at the center of a public-safety problem inside Island County’s main emergency care setting. It also underscores the strain that intoxication and behavioral crises can place on hospital staff, who are expected to stabilize patients while keeping other workers and visitors safe. The report says Dugger was also wanted on a warrant for an alleged probation violation, adding another legal issue to the case as it moves through court.

The charge carries consequences beyond an ordinary assault allegation. Under Washington law, assault in the third degree is a class C felony punishable by up to five years in prison and a $10,000 fine. Washington’s sexual-motivation finding can also trigger sex-offender registration if it is found true, and the state’s sentencing system uses a grid based on offense seriousness and criminal history to determine the standard range. In Dugger’s case, the expected range could run from one to three months in jail, depending on his record and how the case is resolved.

WhidbeyHealth has said its emergency services operate as a 24/7 safety net for residents and visitors. The hospital also announced in November 2025 that certified forensic nurses from FERNS, short for Forensic Education & Relief Nurse Staffing, would provide on-call coverage seven days a week from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. for survivors of sexual assault, domestic violence and child abuse, a sign that the facility has been building specialized response capacity even as it confronts violence inside its own ER.