PAYSON, Utah — A 22-year-old nurse in Payson has been arrested after police say she was caught on camera stealing medications from patients at an assisted living facility.
Ellie Hickman was arrested on Thursday and faces charges of endangerment of a vulnerable adult, possession of a schedule I/II drug, and theft.
According to court documents, on Thursday, officers with the Payson Police Department were called to Orchard View Assisted Living after they reported an employee, Hickman, was suspected of stealing 70 tablets of Oxycodone.
When speaking to the owner of the facility, he stated that there were multiple hours of footage showing Hickman accessing the patient medication cart.
Investigators say Hickman could be seen on video accessing the cart, collecting Oxycodone packages, and concealing them under a notebook. Hickman then allegedly would collect the notebook and put it in a bag before moving out of the camera's view.
On Wednesday, the owner of the facility discovered Oxycodone packages inside the medication cart had been tampered with. Officials say some pills had been taken out and replaced with other similar-looking pills.
Detectives say the switching of the pills could have caused serious complications for the residents at the home. Additionally, every package that was tampered with had to be discarded for safety.
