Nurse charged in Fairchance personal care home pill theft conspiracy
A nurse was charged three weeks after he allegedly helped his son-in-law steal pills from Horizon Personal Care Home in Fairchance.
Gary Wayne Rankin, 64, of Lake Lynn allegedly left a door ajar and failed to enable alarms in the early morning hours of Aug. 27, knowing Christopher Matthew Lee Taylor, 33, was planning to steal pills. Taylor, of Lake Lynn, reportedly confessed to police he burglarized the home, but claimed Rankin was not involved. Taylor was arrested the next day, and Rankin admitted his involvement to state police, according to paperwork filed in the case.
Personal care home owner Michelle Grimm said she could tell from surveillance footage the burglary was “an inside job” because Taylor walked directly to the medical cart tucked away in the back, while Rankin was making his rounds in a different part of the facility. She said the surveillance video showed the burglary was completed in five minutes, from 3:09 a.m. to 3:14 a.m.
“Thank goodness I had surveillance video that told the story,” she said. “He came right in and knew right where to go.”
Rankin’s employment was terminated, she said.
When he came to pick up a paycheck, Grimm said he was asked to sign a termination notice.
“I didn’t want him back in the facility at all,” she said. “He said, ‘I knew it was a bad idea, but my son-in-law wanted to do it so I had to do it.'”
Grimm said they were able to quickly replace the stolen pills — Tramadol, Hydrocodone, Lorazepam, Morphine, Xanax and Valium — thanks to their pharmacy and a local hospice facility.
She said all her employees are required to pass drug tests and criminal background checks. She was shocked an employee was involved, she said.
“I’ve been in business 25 years, and we’ve never ever had a problem. We’ve never even had one pill missing,” Grimm said.
She was grateful none of the residents were hurt.
“It’s awful. They didn’t just do it to me. They did it to me residents,” she said. “Thank goodness the Lord was with us.”
Grimm said employees talked to neighbors who told them they saw a man lurking behind the home. One neighbor found Taylor’s cellphone, which led to his quick arrest.
Rankin was charged with conspiracy to commit burglary and conspiracy to commit theft. He was arraigned Thursday before Magisterial District Judge Daniel C. Shimshock and released on a $75,000 unsecured bond. He faces a preliminary hearing at 1:30 p.m. Sept. 26, along with Taylor.
Taylor is in jail in lieu of a $75,000 bond. He is facing additional charges of burglary, theft and criminal trespass. Court documents indicate he is represented by a public defender.