COLUMBUS–Two Ohio hospitals are reporting a rash of thefts of lifesaving defibrillators. Five of the devices were stolen from the Ohio State University
Medical Center in recent weeks, and police reports indicate at least
four more have been taken from Riverside Methodist Hospital, also in
Columbus.
Defibrillators use electrical shocks to correct abnormal heart beats
that could be deadly. Hospital officials say the ones that were stolen
cost $10,000 or more.
None has been recovered, and Columbus police are puzzled. Lt.
Michael Woods of the burglary squad says a defibrillator is not
something a thief could easily sell, such as a laptop computer.
The hospitals say they have other defibrillators, so patient care has not been affected.
SOURCE: The Columbia Dispatch and Associated Press