A 25-year-old contracted nurse was apprehended earlier this month for allegedly stealing another nurse’s engagement ring from a drawer in an Ocala hospital.
According to reports, the event occurred on Monday, April 20, at HCA Florida Ocala Hospital. According to an Ocala Police Department arrest report, the nurse/victim was in a room on the hospital’s second floor when she removed her engagement ring to wash her hands at 5:40 p.m. that day.
After washing her hands, the victim allegedly neglected to put the ring back on, placing it on the sink. An officer stated in the report that the ring was worth around $2,800.
A hospital employee later discovered the victim’s ring, which was stashed in a drawer behind the nurses’ station. However, when the victim later looked through this drawer for her ring, she realized that it was missing.
Hospital personnel examined security footage, which allegedly showed an employee placing the ring in the drawer as a contractual nurse, identified as Rachel Ramlochan, stood close.
An OPD officer reviewed the clip and stated in the report that Ramlochan “clearly notices the ring as she looks directly at it. ” Moments later, the film purportedly shows Ramlochan accessing the drawer and grabbing the victim’s ring before walking away.
The next day, Ramlochan was questioned by her employer about the missing ring, and she initially denied removing it. According to the report, when Ramlochan later arrived at the hospital, she gave up the ring, claiming she had “picked it up by mistake.”
On Tuesday, May 5, Ramlochan went to the Ocala Police Department headquarters to talk with investigators. After being informed of her Miranda rights, Ramlochan allegedly acknowledged removing the victim’s ring, claiming that she “felt terrible, so she returned it,” according to the report.
Ramlochan was arrested, booked into the Marion County Jail, and released the next day after posting bond. She faces a felony charge of grand theft for more than $750 but less than $5,000.
Ramlochan’s court hearing has not yet been scheduled, according to jail records.
Leave a Comment