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A Forest Lake nurse pretended to check in on a patient so he could steal the man’s medication, according to charges filed in Ramsey County District Court on Wednesday.
Gregory Thomas Welcher, 30, was charged with first-degree burglary and theft in connection with the April incident.
This spring, Welcher visited the home of a White Bear Township couple several times to check on the husband’s abdominal wound. Welcher was working for Interim HealthCare at the time, according to the criminal complaint.
One evening in April, Welcher claimed to be at the home for a routine visit, but he acted oddly and asked to check on the patient’s wound, the charges said.
Before inspecting the wound, Welcher took the man’s bottle of oxycodone pills out of the room, saying that he needed to record the prescription numbers. When he left the home that night, half of the bottle’s contents were missing — nearly 48 pills, the charges said.
A manager at Interim HealthCare said that Welcher was also suspected of stealing Vicodin from a different patient. When asked about the apparent pill thefts, Welcher told the manager that he had a substance abuse problem but “didn’t deny or admit” involvement, the complaint said.
Welcher was suspended from his work duties and later resigned. A complaint was also submitted to the Minnesota Board of Nursing, charges said.
In a phone interview with police, Welcher reiterated that he had a substance abuse problem but was not willing to talk about the alleged theft incidents, the complaint said.