LAKELAND, Fla. (WFLA) — A woman employed at Lake Gibson High School in Lakeland was arrested Monday after being accused of stealing prescription medication that belonged to a student.
According to the Polk County Sheriff’s Office, the investigation began Sept. 18 when school administrators reported a possible theft of a student’s medication.
The school principal told detectives that a student’s prescription bottle, originally containing 30 pills, was brought in by the child’s mother that morning and counted in the prescence of the school nurse.
PCSO said the bottle was then placed on the desk of the suspect, 67-year-old Theresa Salerno. Later, when the nurse retrieved the bottle, nine pills were missing.
Detectives said that they reviewed surveillance video and observed Salerno picking up the bottle and walking out of the camera’s view. When she returned, she placed the bottle back on the desk and held her hand in a cupped position as if she was holding something.
Detectives attempted to contact Salerno, but she had left for a scheduled vacation.
Upon her return to work on Sept. 22, detectives reported that she admitted to removing the pills from the bottle and said she intended to look up the medication to make sure they were the right pills.
The Polk County Sheriff’s Office arrested Salerno and charged her with grand theft of a controlled substance.
“This woman stole medication that was prescribed to a child. There is absolutely no excuse for that. We expect school employees to protect children, not steal from them. She knew better, and now she’ll be held accountable.”– Grady Judd, Sheriff.
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