Woman Faces Felony Charges For Stealing Drugs From Nursing Home Residents

Itasca County Attorney John J. Muhar reports that a criminal complaint was filed in the Itasca County District court charging 38-year-old Bobbi Jo Vandorn of Grand Rapids with 7 counts of felony theft of a controlled substance.

The charges stem from allegations that Vandorn stole narcotics over an extended period of time while employed at Grand Village, a nursing home in Grand Rapids.

According to the complaint, authorities first received the report that an employee was suspected of stealing oxycodone in late February. The employee was later identified as Vandorn. Police spoke with Vandorn, where she initially stated that she removed an oxycodone pill from a female patient’s blister pack in order to correct a pill count. Vandorn later confessed that she had a narcotics addiction, and that she removed the oxycodone from the blister pack and placed it in her uniform and then consumed it off duty.

Vandorn stated that she has been stealing oxycodone, between one and four pills per shift, for an extended period of time. Vandorn also said that she would target residents that had daily narcotic needs and those with limited memory capacity.

According to payroll records, Vandorn’s shifts at the nursing started in January 2015. Her last day of work, on record, is February 20^th, 2018.

Vandorn is set to make her first appearance in District Court on April 23^rd.