A Georgia nurse is accused of stealing jewelry from hospital patients, in one case allegedly using hand sanitizer to forcefully remove rings from the fingers of a dementia patient, dislocating a finger in the process, authorities said.
Stephanie Phillips-Siwiec, 54, faces charges of abuse , neglect or exploitation of the elderly, robbery, and aggravated battery, online jail records show.
Related Coverage:
Information has surfaced in at least two cases. One from Aug. 28 is outlined in an affidavit obtained by local Fox affiliate WAGA and reviewed by Law&Crime.
The document says that between 1 a.m. and 9:30 a.m., the defendant took four rings off the fingers of an 87-year-old patient at Wellstar North Fulton Medical Center, dislocating a finger.
That night, officers were dispatched to the hospital for a theft call. The victim’s daughter told officers her mother, who has dementia, had fallen at her retirement home and was taken to the hospital by ambulance at 1 a.m. An X-ray at 2 a.m. showed she was wearing all her rings.