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Pregnant woman says she got trespass notice after using hospital restroom

ATLANTA — A pregnant woman says she was handed a notice of trespass after using the restroom at an Atlanta hospital.

Tameka Evans says she went to see her uncle, Alton Walker, at Emory University Hospital Midtown and found out he had been moved to another hospital.

“She was coming to visit me on Saturday,” Walker told WSB.

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Before she left the hospital, Evans said, “I asked, ‘Can I use the bathroom?’”

Evans, who is six months pregnant, says an employee at the check-in desk gave her permission to use the restroom, but when she walked back, a security officer was there.

“(The security officer) told me that was criminal trespassing to use the restroom,” Evans said.

The officer gave her a trespassing notice. It says she was instructed “to leave the property of the hospital immediately for violating hospital regulations.”

“(The officer) told me if I was to come back a second time, that I would get locked up unless I was seeking medical attention,” said Evans, who believes she did nothing wrong.

“I don't like intimidation like that. I call it bullying,” Walker said.

The relatives are baffled, especially since Evans is pregnant.

“Get better service,” Evans said of the hospital. “Treat people with a little more respect. Put some signs up,”

Added Walker: “They better take care of it. They've got to do something better.”

An Emory Healthcare spokeswoman released this statement Tuesday night:

"Emory Healthcare is continuing to review this situation. The document issued is not a ticket -- it is a notice stating that the hospital is private property, and is available for our patients and their visitors.
"During the course of this investigation, however, the Emory Healthcare Public Safety Team has asked to look further at situations like this and will work to refine and improve our policies and practices regarding visitors to our facilities."