Georgia nurse, 54, charged with using hand sanitizer to rob dementia patient

A Georgia nurse allegedly stole jewelry from hospital patients in her care.

Stephanie Phillips-Siwiec, 54, is accused of stealing valuables at least twice and at one point using hand sanitizer to forcibly remove rings from the fingers of a dementia patient who didn’t realize it until hours later.

Philips-Siwiec faces charges of elder abuse, neglect or exploitation, three counts of theft and aggravated battery.

Loading documents seen by Fox 5 allege how the nurse worked the night shift at Wellstar North Fulton Medical Center north of Atlanta.

The theft took place between 1am and 9.30am when she took four rings from the fingers of Patricia Gaskins, an 87-year-old dementia patient.

The nurse was so forceful in her actions to remove the jewelry that she allegedly dislocated the older woman’s finger, breaking a bone.

Police officers from Roswell in Fulton County were called to the hospital in August to handle the theft after receiving a call from Gaskins police. daughter.

She told how her mother was taken to hospital after a fall at 1am. An X-ray at 2 a.m. showed her wearing all her rings.

It wasn’t until she was returned to the retirement home later that day that Gaskins noticed her precious rings were missing.

The rings – a yellow gold wedding band, a yellow gold tennis racket ring and a gold wedding set consisting of two white gold bands, one with a diamond valued at $5,800 – belonged to her and her late husband.

When a doctor took a closer look at Gaskins’ ring finger, he determined that the dislocation had also caused a broken bone and was caused by the rings being forcibly removed from her fingers – not by the original fall that sent her to the hospital.

Phillips-Siwiec admitted to using hand sanitizer to forcefully pull off the rings, according to an affidavit seen by WAGA.

‘I can’t explain the feeling that came over me: horror, nausea and wanting to scream. You lose faith in humanity at that moment, that this happened in a place where someone should be cared for,” Carolina Ortloff, Gaskins’ daughter, told the TV station.

Ortloff hopes she can eventually get the rings back because of their sentimental value.

She also believes there may be other potential victims and they may now decide to come forward.

Phillips-Siwiec has also been charged in a second case at the same hospital, in which the daughter of a 95-year-old patient claimed her mother’s $1,000 18-karat gold bracelet was stolen after it was removed from her wrist last month.

On that occasion, the woman described how her mother had been taken to hospital by ambulance with the bracelet, but after being taken to a hospital room, the jewelery was lost.

Wellstar Health System said Phillips-Siwiec has been placed on administrative leave pending further investigation.

“If these allegations are true, they go against everything we stand for as healthcare providers. Everyone should feel safe and comfortable when receiving care,” a spokesperson said.

‘We are cooperating with the investigating authorities and will take further action if necessary. We have apologized to the patient and her family.

“We conduct thorough background checks on our employees and encourage our team members and patients to report their concerns, which they can do anonymously, to help ensure the highest level of care and safety,” the spokesperson added.

Phillips-Siwiec appeared in court Thursday and appeared particularly stressed as the judge went over the details of her case.

At one point she was heard saying, “Oh my God,” as the judge described the alleged incident.

She was booked into the Fulton County Jail on $140,000 bail and will appear in court in November.

In the meantime, she has been ordered not to have any contact with anyone over the age of 75, nor to have any contact with anyone who works at North Fulton Hospital or works as a nurse.