GA Nurse Faces Charges For Stealing Jewelry, Dislocating Finger, Of Dementia Patients
A Georgia nurse is facing multiple criminal charges for allegedly stealing jewelry from elderly patients under her care, and dislocating one of their fingers in the process.
Stephanie Phillips-Siwiec, a 54-year-old nurse employed at Wellstar North Fulton Medical Center in Georgia, has been accused of exploiting and robbing elderly patients. The charges against her include three counts each of abuse, neglect, or exploitation of the elderly and robbery, as well as aggravated battery, as reported on by Law and Crime and a local Fox affiliate, WAGA.
The allegations stem from multiple incidents where Phillips-Siwiec allegedly stole valuable jewelry from patients she was responsible for caring for. In one particularly egregious case, she is accused of using hand sanitizer to forcibly remove four rings from an 87-year-old dementia patient named Patricia Gaskins. This act reportedly resulted in a dislocated finger for the patient.
- The stolen items included both Gaskins’ wedding ring and that of her late husband, with one ring containing a diamond valued at $5,800.
- Another reported incident involved the theft of a $1,000 18-karat gold bracelet from a 95-year-old patient on September 28.
Phillips-Siwiec is also accused of selling jewelry similar to what was stolen on Facebook Marketplace.
Phillips-Siwiec appeared in court Thursday, October 10th, when a judge set her bail at $140,000 and ordered her to avoid contact with anyone over the age of 75 or connected to North Fulton Hospital, per Yahoo News. Additionally, she is prohibited from working as a nurse during this time.
In response to these serious allegations, Wellstar Health System has placed Phillips-Siwiec on administrative leave. The healthcare provider has stated that they are fully cooperating with authorities in the investigation and have apologized to the affected patients and their families.
