Former Osceola County Caregiver Charged with Medication Theft

Michigan Department of Attorney General

March 15, 2024

LANSING – Today, a former caregiver with Reed City Fields, an assisted living facility in Osceola County, was arraigned on one count each of Larceny in a Building and Possession of a Controlled Substance in the 77th District Court in Osceola County, announced Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel. Walter Herrington III, 43, of Scottville, is alleged to have stolen and possessed pills, sedative Lorazepam (Ativan), prescribed to a deceased facility resident. Both charges are felonies.

“Caregivers provide invaluable services to their patients, but using that position to steal medications is a violation of trust and also a felony that my department will not hesitate to prosecute,” said Nessel. “These are controlled substances for a reason, and we must be able to trust in our caregivers to handle them responsibly and legally.”

Herrington was arrested by special agents of the Attorney General’s office yesterday and arraigned today before Magistrate Daniel E. Clise. He was given a $10,000/10% bond. Herrington will next appear in court on March 28th at 9:15 a.m. for a probable cause conference.

Larceny in a Building is 4-year felony, alternatively punishable by a $5,000 fine, or both. Possession of a Controlled Substance (Lorazepam) is a 2-year felony, alternatively punishable by a $2,000 fine, or both.

The Attorney General’s Health Care Fraud Division (HCFD) handled this case for the Department. The HCFD is the federally certified Medicaid Fraud Control Unit for Michigan, and it receives 75% of its funding from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services under a grant award totaling $5,541,992 for the fiscal year 2024. The remaining 25% percent, totaling $1,847,326 is funded by the State of Michigan.

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Please note: For all criminal proceedings, a criminal charge is merely an allegation. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. The Department does not provide booking photos.

Source:
Former Osceola County Caregiver Charged with Medication Theft