A 47-year-old patient care assistant at Saddleback Memorial Medical Center in Laguna Hills has been charged with sexually assaulting one woman and battering another while they were patients at the hospital.

Narcisco Romanes Blando is charged with one felony count of sexual battery on an institutionalized person and two misdemeanor counts of battery, according to the Orange County district attorney's office. Investigators said they suspect there may be more victims.

Blando of Orange was arrested at home Wednesday evening, according to Jim Amormino of the Orange County Sheriff's Department.

Blando works at the hospital, located near the Laguna Woods senior citizen community, as a "patient care assistant," Amormino said.

On Monday night, a patient in her 50s complained to hospital officials that Blando touched her groin area as he was rubbing pain-medication cream on her ankles, Amormino said. The woman said that when she told him to stop, he did.

A few hours later, about 1 a.m. Tuesday, another patient in her 50s woke up to find Blando stroking her hair and kissing her face, Amormino alleged.

"She told him to stop and eventually he did comply," Amormino said.

A third patient also alleged that Blando kissed her on the face and stroked her hair, but Amormino did not know when that alleged encounter occurred.

All of the women were under the influence of prescription-strength pain medication at the time of the alleged molestations, Amormino said.

Blando is being held on $100,000 bail. He faces a maximum sentence of four years in state prison.