TRENTON, N.J. — A grand jury indicted a New Jersey paramedic on charges she stole a credit card from an unconscious patient she was treating at the scene of a car crash.
Lori Wegner, 42, was also suspended from her job at MONOC, a non-profit hospital cooperative that operates an ambulance service, NJ.com reports.
According to a suspension letter from the state office of emergency medical services, she is accused of stealing a debit card that fell out of the purse of an unconscious woman involved in a car accident, and then trying to the card at a convenience store later that day. The July 17 transaction was denied due to insufficient funds.
Wegner admitted to stealing the card when questioned by police the next week.
The Aug. 25 suspension letter states that paramedics are placed in a position of public trust, which Wegner violated.
“Because the crimes with which you have been charged are serious and the nature of the charges are indicative of poor judgment and lack of trustworthiness, the department finds that your continued certification as an EMT-Paramedic and EMT-Basic constitutes an immediate and serious threat to public safety, health and welfare,” the letter said.