BUTLER COUNTY, Ohio — A paramedic who had been laid off confessed to stealing morphine from two EMS squads.
Timothy “Hank” Gibson, 32, was charged with three counts of theft in office and three counts of drug theft, the Journal News reports.
If convicted, he faces four-and-a-half years in prison.
Gibson allegedly stole the drugs in 2013 and 2014 from Middleton and Fairfield Township EMS agencies, and an investigation took some time, prosecutors said. He was laid off in August 2014, along with 11 other firefighter/EMTs.
Middleton Fire Chief Paul Lolli said Gibson came under suspicion after crews found two vials of morphine missing during a daily check.
Lolli said he’s very disappointed in Gibson.
“When something like this happens we take it very seriously,” he said, “because it’s our job to ensure our medications and controlled substances are protected. For an individual to do this, they have lost the respect and the credibility of everybody in the division.”