Ryan Epperson appears before Judge Christie Sell. He is flanked by attorneys Bill Speek and Jonathan Turner.
A former Hamilton County corrections officer who was arrested once again recently for breaking into secure areas in Chattanooga hospitals to steal thousands of dollars in narcotics has been told to stay away from Erlanger and Parkridge hospitals if he makes bond.
Ryan Epperson appeared before General Sessions Court Judge Christie Sell on Tuesday and bound the 42 charges he faces to the Grand Jury.
Epperson was earlier placed under bonds totaling $325,000.
Epperson, 26, was arrested in May for stealing from three locations but got out a month later on a $93,000 bond.
In the latest cases, an officer who responded to a burglary at Erlanger East on Gunbarrel Road stated in a report 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 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 said 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 after his first arrest.
Epperson’s attorney, Bill Speek, said his client was struggling with addiction.