Handcuffs.
Credit: Metro Photo Archive
A former research assistant at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center allegedly ordered and stole 500 bottles of drug typically used as a animal anesthetic.
Joshua Smith, 30, of Worcester, pleaded not guilty on Tuesday to 18 counts of larceny, according to the Suffolk district attorney’s office. Smith was ordered held on $1,000 cash bail.
Smith allegedly used his position at Beth Israel to order more than 500 bottles of Ketamine, which is used illicitly. The 10 milliliter bottles were ordered in 18 shipments over the course of a year and cost the hospital more than $5,000.
Prosecutors accused Smith of ordering the Ketamine for his own purposes.
Smith was caught when he was out one day and a shipment arrived. A coworker, knowing that some medications need to be refrigerated, signed for it and opened the package. The coworker alerted hospital administrators after seeing how much Ketamine was in the package.
Administrators checked records and found other shipments of the drug ordered by Smith.
He is due back in court in December.
Follow Michael Naughton on Twitter @metrobosmike.
