Pittsford, New York – A medical technician was charged of pill theft, pleaded not guilty after allegations of stealing prescription narcotics from Pittsford residents.
Theft Allegations
Deborah Cleveland, 42 and a resident of Rochester was a previous medical technician in an assisted living facility. On Thursday, she pleaded not guilty to pill theft chargesat the Pittsford Town Court. Cleveland allegedly stole prescription narcotics from eight residents of Heather Heights, an assisted living facility, urgent care clinic, and memory care center on Jefferson Road. She was charged with 17 counts of pill theft, allegedly stealing pills for personal use. She substituted these medications such as blood pressure drugs, bi-polar drugs, and diuretics to drugs without a prescription for those individuals, stated by the state office of Attorney General Eric Schneiderman. The alleged thefts were believed to have occurred between September and October 2013.
Pill Theft Detected
Carrie L. Bardo, the facility’s administrator, said that the alleged thefts were discovered during an audit. The facility was reported to the Department of Health Bureau of Narcotics Enforcement (BNE) after learning of the audit results. In October, Cleveland was fired from her job. In a statement, Bardo said that the early detection of the theft and quick handling of the issue was due to their strict protocols. As an urgent care near me facility, the Heather Heights will not tolerate actions that would cause harm to their family members.
Replacement Medications
Cleveland was charged by the attorney general for stealing prescription narcotics from residents aged 66 to 98. The victims needed an urgent care since they had demonstrable dysfunctions physically, mentally, and emotionally. They were also incapable of providing for their own health care adequately. The attorney general alleged that Cleveland has stolen the pills from prepackaged medication trays, and the replacement medications were obtained from a “discounted medication bin”. The replacements were believed to injure any recipient.
Charges Against Cleveland
The attorney general said that Cleveland will be back in court on August 21. The BNE and the Medical Fraud Control Unit continue with the case investigation. Due to this incident, other urgent care clinics and health care facilities have been cautious and taking steps in preventing such occurrence in their premises. The case claimed that the welfare of physically disabled or incompetent people was put in danger. Cleveland was charged with 8 counts of first degree felony, first degree felony scheming to fraud, and 8 counts of misdemeanor petit larceny, all because of stealing prescription narcotics.
