Canyon View Behavioral Health Services has added 31 new security monitors and changed patient contact rules in the wake of the alleged sexual assault of a patient by a registered sex offender there in January.

An official of St. Luke's Magic Valley Hospital, which operates Canyon View, announced the changes Friday, saying they were implemented following a March 13 complaint inspection by the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. That inspection report has not yet been made public.

The Times-News reported last week that a Canyon View patient, registered sex offender David A. Knutsen, 28, of Filer, was indicted March 25 on four counts of sexual abuse of a vulnerable adult - a 21-year-old female Canyon View patient - on Jan. 30. The woman is described in court records as a mentally delayed, vulnerable adult.

Citing patient confidentiality, hospital officials Friday continued to decline comment on the specific abuse allegations detailed in 5th District Court records. According to those records, Canyon View staff allegedly left Knutsen and the woman alone without supervision, out of camera sight, and then waited six days to report the abuse to police.

Staffers were supposed to check on the two patients every 15 minutes, and St. Luke's Magic Valley CEO Mark Schwartz said Friday that records indicate they were checked that often. He said he has no knowledge of any criminal investigation involving the actions of his employees, and no disciplinary action is being contemplated. Any problems at the facility resulted from lapses in policy, rather than employee standards, he said.

To improve security at the facility, Canyon View has added 31 new security cameras, up from four, Schwartz said. Additional staff has been added, particularly at night, to monitor patients "24/7" everywhere but some patient rooms, he said.

Canyon View also will keep closed-circuit TV tapes on file, where "no tapes were kept before," he said.

The small hospital, which usually houses nine to 16 patients, also has a new personal space rule. Sexual contact and touching were not previously allowed, but now patients must stay at least two feet apart, Schwartz said.

Those identified as potential problems must maintain a 10-foot distance, Schwartz said.

Schwartz said Canyon View staff followed established procedure in the delay in reporting the assault to police, but that procedure has been changed. He said abuse allegations will now be immediately reported.

"In the past there was a review," Schwartz said Friday, but now, "we'll report any and all."

Police said in court records that hospital officials knew Knutsen was a sex offender and left him alone with the young woman. Schwartz said patients are now more thoroughly screened and the process includes searches of sex offender databases. If a patient might be danger to others, the facility may establish extra controls, up to restraining them in bed or in locked rooms. Patients "beyond our ability to handle" won't be admitted, he said.

An independent review of Canyon View was done about a year ago by an insurance carrier, Schwartz said. None of the new safety measures were called for by those inspectors, he said.

Schwartz said he has not read court records detailing the alleged abuse at Canyon View, and said he does not know if a crime occurred. Knutsen is scheduled to enter a plea on the abuse allegations on June 22.

Staff writer Nate Poppino contributed to this report.