Ohio Nurse Accused of Stealing Drugs Skips Court Appearance

You thought I was kidding when I posted on this blog several months ago about the legal woes of licensed professionals being considered newsworthy events.

See this article:

http://www.wtov9.com/news/17190243/detail.html

Here is the cut and paste:

A nurse, allegedly caught stealing drugs from a local hospital, didn’t show up for a scheduled court appearance Thursday morning and a warrant is being issued for her arrest.

Hospital officials said the nurse in question worked at East Ohio Regional Hospital in Martins Ferry where police said she allegedly stole drugs that were deemed dangerous by the Ohio Revised Code

Renee Marie Bayardi, 51, is charged with stealing Demerol and Morphine on at least two separate occasions in March of this year.

According to officials at East Ohio Regional Hospital, Bayardi is no longer employed at the hospital. Officials said immediate action was taken as soon as the allegations unfolded.

Bayardi was due in court Thursday for her arraignment on six counts of felony theft but did not show up.

Belmont County Prosecutor Chris Berhalter said it was the hospital staff that brought this case forward.

“The hospital in question cooperated fully and actually brought this to the attention of the appropriate authorities to investigate this matter, so they should be congratulated for doing everything they can to make sure that this type of activity does not occur,” said Berhalter.

At this time, it is unclear whether the allegations came through surveillance video.

NEWS9 will be meeting with hospital officials Thursday afternoon and will bring you more details as they become available.