Paul Serdula, of Marietta, turned himself into authorities on Wednesday after being accidentally freed from custody. (Cobb County Sheriff's Office)
A male nurse who was serving a life sentence in Georgia for sexually assaulting female patients and was mistakenly freed from custody turned himself into authorities on Wednesday.
Paul Serdula, of Marietta, turned himself into the Cobb County Jail at 4 p.m. Wednesday, Cobb County Sheriff's Office records show.
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He had been serving a life plus 25 year-sentence at the medium-security Wheeler Correctional Facility in Alamo since 2011 after he was found guilty of sexually assaulting and videotaping 19 sedated female patients, including children, that were in his care, WSB-TV reported.
Serdula — who had reportedly been referred to by prosecutors as a "serial pervert" — had won an appeal in February which vacated his convictions, although he still faced charges and was denied bond.
The state's Department of Corrections issued a statement acknowledging that Cobb County authorities requested Serdula be released into their custody, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported. But when the prison ran its "normal release process" on Serdula, "they found no detainers and no legal authority to hold him."
"They did, however, overlook the request that had been made by Cobb," the statement continued.
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Former Cobb County District Attorney Patrick Head told WGCL-TV that it was "highly unusual" for Serdula's convictions to be overturned and then have him be released.
"If you were Mr. Serdula and you were looking at spending the rest of your life in prison and you were released and free again, would you still be here in Georgia?" Head asked before Serdula turned himself into police.
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