$100,000 Piece of Hospital Equipment Recovered by CAPROS Detectives Arrest Hospital Employee
Written by Post Public Information Representative, May 8, 2010, 0 Comments
Courtesy Joe Baeza,
On Thursday, May 6, 2010, at about 9:43 a.m., a Theft F/2 report was filed at the Laredo Medical Center in which a medical instrument valued at about $100,000 was reported as stolen. The instrument was a GE Vivid 1 Imager that is an ultrasound machine and is about the size of a lap top, but thicker. It was stolen from the 2nd floor surgery unit of the hospital. Video surveillance showed a hospital employee, later identified as Jose Rodolfo Rodriguez, who does maintenance on such machines in the area of the theft when he was off-duty at about 2:00 a.m. on May 5, 2010.
Laredo Police Investigators assigned to the Crimes against Property Division were advised of the existence of the video by hospital administration at about 4:00 p.m. Detectives went to Rodriguez’ house located at the 200 block of Clark Blvd. at about 4:45 p.m. Rodriguez was advised of his Miranda Rights and questioned about the stolen instrument. Rodriguez eventually admitted to having taken the item, but stated that he had not taken it out of the hospital.
Detectives went to Laredo Medical Center and using detailed directions given by the suspect and were able to recover the stolen instrument at about 6:02 p.m. The instrument had been carefully hidden in a rarely used room of the 2nd floor of the hospital and had been carefully covered by other machinery that is kept there. LPD Detectives believe that Rodriguez was going to wait until another opportune time to retrieve the instrument and then take it out of the hospital to possibly sell it. Since he was a technician, he was aware of the value of the instrument.
Jose Rodolfo Rodriguez, age 29, was arrested for Theft F/2, booked and processed at the police station and then remanded to Webb County Jail where he was held in lieu of no bond pending appearance before judicial magistrate.
