Veterinary Technician Convicted of Stealing Life-Saving Meds for Animals
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A veterinary technician could face up to seven years in prison after being convicted Friday of stealing life-saving oncology medications used to treat animals with cancer from a facility in the Town of Southeast.
Elisa Sanchez, a resident of Dutchess County, was convicted Dec. 1 after a jury trial of Grand Larceny in the Third Degree and Criminal Possession of Stolen Property in the Third Degree.
According to Putnam County District Attorney Robert Tendy, members of the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office responded to Guardian Veterinary Specialists on July 28, 2022 after fellow employees saw Sanchez placing the medications in her personal bag.
Guardian employees observed Sanchez do this on prior occasions before reporting her to management, which ultimately led to her arrest and termination from Guardian.
“It’s very sad that essential cancer medications for dogs, cats—people’s beloved pets—would be stolen by a vet tech,” Tendy said. “It’s just a really low thing to do. Fortunately, the Guardian employees and management were vigilant and reached out to law enforcement.”
The case was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorneys Mackenzie Ferguson and Melissa Lynch.
Sanchez is scheduled to be sentenced by County Court Judge Anthony Mole on January 31, 2024. She faces a maximum sentence of 2 1/3 to 7 years behind bars in state prison.
Rick has more than 40 years’ experience covering local news in Westchester and Putnam counties, running the gamut from politics and crime to sports and human interest. He has been an editor at Examiner Media since 2012. Read more from Rick’s editor-author bio here. Read Rick’s work here: https://www.theexaminernews.com/author/pezzullo_rick-writer/