JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Hospitals are known for saving lives and improving overall health. However, for one woman, the hospital was a source to steal robotic equipment.
Angela Kearse, 58, has admitted to stealing more than $60,000 worth of medical equipment from a local hospital. According to court documents, Kearse worked at St. Vincent’s Hospital but stole expensive medical robot arms.
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She recently entered a guilty plea for the crimes.
According to an arrest and booking report, Kearse worked as a surgical assistant at St. Vincent’s Hospital.
On Jan. 29, she entered a guilty plea for thefts that occurred in 2024.
In 2024, hospital staff noticed that surgical robotic arms had been missing for months from the Southside location.
A photo taken on Dec. 24 to document inventory looked very different just two days later on Dec. 26, showing over half of the property missing.
Kearse worked at the Riverside location but used her badge to access the Southside location on weekends and holidays when fewer people were present.
Security reviewed surveillance footage and badge entrance logs.
They found Kearse leaving on Dec. 25 around 3 a.m., carrying duffel bags and cardboard boxes filled with the missing medical robot arms valued at over $60,000.
Police say she admitted to taking the items and had an accomplice. There is no public record that the other person was arrested.
Kearse will be sentenced on March 5. She faces a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison.
News4JAX has reached out to St. Vincent’s Hospital for comment, but has not yet received a response.