Ala. VA employee accused of sexually abusing patient

A Veterans Affairs Southeast Network employee who works at the Tuskegee VA medical center and was charged with sexual abuse of a veteran patient in February is still receiving a paycheck.

Andre Hall, 40, of Montgomery, was charged with first-degree sexual abuse after being accused of fondling a female patient's breast against her will in December 2013, according to the Feb. 18 complaint filed in Macon County District Court.

E. Paul Jones, the district attorney in Macon, Chambers, Randolph and Tallapoosa counties, said the preliminary hearing was held Aug. 21 after being delayed by Hall's attorney twice.

Hall, who pleaded not guilty, will only be tried if he's first indicted by a grand jury. Jones said the next Macon County grand jury doesn't meet again until January or February.

A Central Alabama Veterans Healthcare Employee who dealt with the case but didn't want to be named for fear of retribution said that the case was turned over to the VA Southeast Network, and Hall was put on paid administrative leave. He's still listed as an employee in the CAVHCS directory.

The employee said Hall worked in prosthetics at the Tuskegee medical center campus.

Fernando Morgan, a Montgomery attorney representing Hall, did not return phone calls Monday.