Pa. School Security Officer Caught Stealing Students’ Medication
The officer was caught on video accessing a nurse’s medical cabinet.
A security officer at a high school in Pennsylvania was convicted of stealing medication bottles from students by a jury June 10.
Karen Palaia, 57, will be sentenced on a later date for the thefts at East Stroudsburg High School South, where she worked until December, according to the Pocono Record.
Members of the nursing staff at the school became suspicious when they noticed pills were missing from students’ Adderall bottles, which were kept in a locked medicine cabinet. The only people who were supposed to be able to access the cabinet were three nurses during school hours.
RELATED: Hospital Drug Auditing Ruled Inadequate After Employee Stole Syringes
After taking inventory, the nurses discovered 12 pills were taken from a bottle after school hours one day. In response, the school placed a surveillance camera in the nurse’s office to identify the thief.
Palaia was captured on camera accessing the medicine cabinet on December 9 and charged the next day.
Palaia’s trial lasted one day and the jury came back with a conviction after two hours of deliberation.
Read Next: Drug Trend: It’s Just a Vape Pen, Right?
If you appreciated this article and want to receive more valuable industry content like this, click here to sign up for our FREE digital newsletters!
Related Content
Leading in Turbulent Times: Effective Campus Public Safety Leadership for the 21st Century
This new webcast will discuss how campus public safety leaders can effectively incorporate Clery Act, Title IX, customer service, “helicopter” parents, emergency notification, town-gown relationships, brand management, Greek Life, student recruitment, faculty, and more into their roles and develop the necessary skills to successfully lead their departments. Register today to attend this free webcast!
