Pharmacist accused of destroying vaccines: no previous discipline



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A pharmacist remains in the Ozaukee County Jail after being arrested on Thursday, December 31. Police say the 46-year-old admitted to intentionally destroying vials of COVID-19 vaccine at Aurora Medical Center in Grafton.

The man from Grafton has been a pharmacist in Wisconsin for decades. It will not be formally billed until next week due to the New Year holidays; FOX6 News will not name him until then for this reason.

Questions remain on Friday January 1 as to why the 46-year-old man destroyed 570 doses of the Moderna vaccine.

“We’re really not in a position to make judgments on the motive at this time,” said Dr. Jeff Bahr, president of the Aurora Health Care medical group.

Bahr said a pharmacy technician first discovered 57 vials of the vaccine outside the refrigerator on the morning of December 26.

The suspect first told supervisors that he accidentally removed the vials. However, several days later, he admitted to intentionally omitting them twice – on December 25 and 25 – rendering them ineffective.

“We were able to adapt very, very quickly to the situation as it arose. We were able to get additional vaccines from other sites in our system,” Bahr said.

Aurora Medical Center in Grafton

Aurora turns the investigation over to the FBI, FDA, and local law enforcement. Grafton Police arrested the suspect at his home on Thursday, December 31.

Darlene Scow watched as her neighbor was arrested.

“It’s horrible. You can’t answer for someone with a twisted mind. You just can’t answer it,” Scow said.

Grafton Police Department

According to the Wisconsin Department of Safety and Professional Services, the suspect had had his pharmacist’s license since 1997 with no record of previous investigations or disciplinary action.

Now the 46-year-old is unemployed and in jail awaiting multiple felony charges. These charges include reckless endangerment of first degree safety and criminal damage to property.

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Fifty-seven people in the hospital received vaccines from these 57 vials, only to find they were unnecessary.

Officials say these doses pose no health risk to those who received them.

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