A Denver doctor has been charged with one count of sexual assault for allegedly raping his children’s nanny.
Denver District Attorney Mitch Morrissey filed the class 4 felony charge today against 46-year-old Jordan Sankel.
Sankel was arrested on Saturday and has been released on a $10,000 bond. He is scheduled to appear at 1:30 p.m. Aug. 9 in Denver County Court to be advised of the charge.
According to an arrest affidavit, the children were not at the doctor’s home at the time of the incident on July 15.
The 22-year-old nanny had dropped them off at their mother’s home, according to the affidavit.
After returning to the doctor’s Denver home, the nanny told police the doctor wished her a happy birthday and offered to take her to a bar for drinks.
At the bar, the young woman said they had a couple of beers. She said as they discussed the children, Sankel told her she deserved a kiss for her work with the children and then kissed her.
After leaving the bar and returning to Sankel’s home, the woman checked her work schedule and told the doctor she would be back in the morning.
However, she claimed Sankel asked her for a kiss, led her upstairs to a bedroom and pushed her onto the bed.
The nanny said the doctor then removed her clothing and began to sexually assault her despite her protests.
When he left momentarily to go to the bathroom, the woman said she grabbed her clothes and was trying to leave. However, Sankel pushed her back on to the bed and raped her, according to the affidavit.
After the assault, the woman said Sankel told her “they could be friends with benefits.”
Police said that after returning to her own home, the nanny broke down in tears and told a friend that her boss had raped her. At that point she went to the Aurora South Medical Center for an exam. Hospital officials called Denver police who responded to the hospital.
An exam of the woman showed evidence of sexual penetration as well as bruises on both forearms, according to police.
The affidavit said that when Sankel was contacted he said he would consult with a lawyer. The lawyer later advised that she had told Sankel not to talk to police, according to the affidavit.
Howard Pankratz: 303-954-1939 or hpankratz@denverpost.com.
