Ryan Epperson
A former Hamilton County corrections officer was arrested once again on Wednesday and now faces 42 charges after breaking into secure areas in Chattanooga hospitals to steal thousands of dollars in narcotics.
Ryan Epperson, 26, was arrested earlier this year in May for stealing from three separate locations but got out a month later on a $93,000 bond.
An officer who responded to a burglary at Erlanger East on Gunbarrel Road stated in a report on Saturday that the secured door to a medicine room had been pried open and that the narcotics drawer of a cabinet had also been tampered with.
A doctor at that location gave a written statement saying he encountered an individual that day who said he was looking for an open bathroom. He told the doctor his name was Ryan, and the witness was able to recognize the defendant in a photo lineup.
Back on May 28, security forces at Erlanger Hospital on East 3rd Street found Epperson dressed in scrubs with several vials of powerful narcotics in his pocket. He was also found to have large stashes of medication in the trunk of his car and in his home.
A police report says that head of Erlanger Security, Phil Headen, reviewed reports of similar burglaries at area hospitals and was able to identify Epperson on video at 11 of the incidents.
Four of those took place after he made bond several months ago.
Epperson’s attorney, Bill Speek, said previously in Epperson’s case that his client was struggling with addiction.
The defendant currently has a $325,000 bond.