A housekeeping worker at an Arizona hospital has been fired from his job, and subsequently arrested, for stealing and hoarding medical supplies in the midst of the coronavirus outbreak, as ABC News reports.
The suspect is 49-year-old Keith Brown, who worked at the Yavapai Regional Medical Center in Prescott, Arizona. He was arrested and charged with one count of theft and one count of fraud, after police discovered $1,700 worth of medical equipment in his car and his house. Brown was fired from his job shortly after the arrest.
Among the items he was hoarding were “gloves, hand sanitizer, scrubs, wash cloths, paper towels, masks, bleach cleaner, toilet paper, and an automatic hand sanitizer,” according to Lieutenant Jon Brambila of the Prescott Police Department.
Police are cooperating with the hospital to expedit a return of the stolen equipment once they are determined to be safe to use. Yavapai County has recorded 43 cases of the coronavirus since the outbreak started.