Criminal charges filed in Springfield nursing home drug theft

One of two patients accused of stealing unsecured narcotics from a Springfield nursing home has been arrested.

Christopher R. Rosales, 29, of Springfield, pleaded not guilty to two counts of theft in Clark County Municipal Court on Sunday, Feb. 18. Bond was set at $10,000.

FIRST REPORT: Springfield nursing home investigation: Patient ODs on unlocked pills

About 5 a.m. Dec. 10, nurses at Eaglewood Care Center, 2000 Villa Road, told police they were unable to locate about 23 Oxycodone pills, the report says.

At that time, the facility was locked down and searched thoroughly, the police report says. Employees also were sent to the hospital for drug testing. A few hours later, nurses noticed Rosales was lethargic and he was sent to the hospital.

MORE: Springfield nursing home cited 31 times on health inspections

Rosales told nurses he allegedly distracted an Eaglewood staff member while another man stole the prescription drugs from an unlocked medicine cart, the report says. Both Rosales and the other man took the pills, the report says.

The other man was transported to the hospital for an alleged overdose, the report says.

The Springfield News-Sun reported last week that the Ohio Department of Health filed a statement of deficiencies for Eaglewood in connection with the drug theft and overdose.

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“This resulted in immediate jeopardy, serious life-threatening harm for one cognitively intact resident with a history of drug abuse …” the statement of deficiencies says.

That report notes Eaglewood took several corrective actions and provided a plan of correction to prevent a similar incident in the future.

The News-Sun investigation also uncovered that the total number of health citations at Eaglewood was 31, according to Medicare’s Nursing Home Compare website, which lists its rating as “much below average.” The average number of health citations in Ohio is 6.2, the site says.

Bruce Wertheim, manager of Eaglewood operator Beacon Health Management, said the staff cares about their patients and that the facility has submitted plans of correction in each case and constantly works to make improvements to provide better care.

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