St. Charles Bend pharmacy tech charged with stealing, selling drugs

A St. Charles Bend pharmacy technician has been arrested on theft, drug possession and other charges, accused of stealing $10,000 worth of a pain-killer drug from the hospital pharmacy in recent weeks, some of which were sold to others, police said Friday.

Police were called to the hospital on Feb. 19 to investigate an employee stealing controlled substances, Lt. Clint Burleigh said. Staff reported Shane Lennon Welsh, 32, of Bend, had been stealing drugs from the pharmacy, and was caught doing so by staff members.

An investigation found that Welsh had been stealing a synthetic opiate pain-killer, Remifentanil, since the beginning of the year, using the hospital pharmacy’s computer to hide the thefts, Burleigh said.

When the hospital learned of the thefts, they confronted Welsh and contacted police. It’s estimated he stole at least 200 vials of Remifentanil, worth about $10,000.

Investigating officers searched Welsh’s car in the hospital parking lot, as well as his home and another vehicle, Burleigh said.

The investigation found Welsh was not only stealing the drugs for personal use, but had sold some of the drugs as well, the lieutenant said, adding that evidence was found in both cars regarding the Remifentanil thefts.

Welsh consented to a search of his home, conducted on Monday, where Burleigh said officers found Ketamine (a Schedule III controlled substance), as well as oxycodone/acetaminophen and methadone, both Schedule II drugs.

Officers also found five guns in the home, including two handguns, two semi-automatic rifles and a shotgun. All the weapons were seized as evidence, Burleigh said.

“Based on all the circumstances of the investigation, Welsh was cited in lieu of custody,” Burleigh said. He faces several drug possession, manufacture and delivery charges, as well as first-degree aggravated theft and computer crime.

Hospital spokeswoman Lisa Goodman provided the following statement.

“We are deeply concerned about this situation and will soon be conducting a root-cause analysis to better understand where there may be gaps in our processes. Our intent is to act quickly to ensure this can’t happen again.

“In addition to the Bend Police Department, St. Charles Health System has notified the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency, as well as provided the state Board of Pharmacy with a report.

“Because this is now an active criminal investigation, we’re deferring to the Bend Police Department to comment on the specifics of this case. And because as a matter of policy we don’t comment on personnel issues, we can’t provide any more information about the caregiver involved or what if any actions will be taken in regards to his employment,” the hospital said.