A nurse employed by Kosciusko Community Hospital has been arrested for theft of narcotics from her employer.
Amanda Sue Gawthrop, 26, of North Webster, was booked into the Kosciusko County Jail yesterday, Jan. 18, for possession of a narcotic drug, a level 6 felony and theft, a class A misdemeanor. Her bond was set at $5,250.
According to charging documents filed by the Kosciusko County Prosecutor’s office, on Oct. 13, 2016 Warsaw City Police were called to Kosciusko Community Hospital in response to theft of medication.
The responding officer spoke with the hospital administrator of nursing, who told him during a monthly audit their attention was drawn to the medication log belonging to nurse Amanda Gawthrop.
On Oct. 11, hospital officials spoke with Gawthrop and she admitting to stealing and using numerous pain narcotics. A theft/loss report on a detailed audit sheet for the month of Sept. 2016 was provided to police from hospital administrators.
The administrator of nursing advised Gawthrop admitted to stealing medication from six months to one year.
Gawthrop consented to a drug test and admitting to taking Dilaudid on Oct. 9 without a prescription. On the way to the drug test, another KCH employee found an empty syringe in Gawthrop’s pocket. Gawthrop admitted to stealing the hydromorphone with intent to use it prior to hospital employees speaking with her.
Gawthrop stole Dilaudid (hydromorphone), Percocet (oxycodone), morphine and Ultram (tramadol) all schedule II narcotic drugs. The value of the drugs stolen in September 2016 totaled $151.41.
Police met with Gawthrop who said she had taken the drugs from a hospital dispenser using her personal login and then used the drugs for personal use. She said she had stolen drugs from the hospital more times than she could count, according to the affidavit of probable cause on her case.
Gawthrop began working at KCH in November 2013.
