LANCASTER COUNTY, Pa. – Security measures at two hospitals are being questioned after a former employee at Lancaster General Hospital (LGH) and Heart of Lancaster Hospital was arrested for allegedly stealing the narcotic drug fentanyl from each facility.
The suspect, 25-year-old Lee Gilbert, was a radio technician for both LGH and Heart in 2005, but was fired due to performance problems. According to investigators, Gilbert came back to LGH dressed in scrubs and told hospital staff that he forgot his identification. He was able to get inside the hospital for a year and a half.
At the hospital, Gilbert would take the fentanyl disposed in the bio-waste bins and inject it while he was in the employee bathrooms. He would then store the empty vials in the ceiling of the hospital.
LGH found 300 vials in the ceiling. At Heart, 60 empty vials were found.
Gilbert was released on an unsecured bond of $50,000. He is currently at a York County drug treatment facility.
Gilbert faces five charges and three of those charges are felonies. He could face several years in prison and several thousand dollars in fines if convicted.
The incident has helped the hospitals to reevaluate their security plans.
