The Monroe County Sheriff’s Office arrested a Key Largo man on Monday following video surveillance capturing him stealing opioid medication from a woman under his care.
Deputies met with the son of the victim, who provided video evidence that Christopher Dean Burns, 35, was frequently stealing Oxycodone from the victim.
The victim, a 73-year-old woman, suffered a stroke about 4 months ago, causing her to be bedridden and to require in-home care. Furthermore, she has been prescribed the two narcotics for chronic pain for the past twenty years, although the victim’s son says she’s been a responsible user throughout the years.
At some point, the son noticed that the victim’s prescription was abnormally low, prompting him to ask her about her usage. However, she claimed to be only using the prescribed amount. This led the son to check video surveillance that he set up to monitor the victim’s health in case of another stroke or emergency.
The son was able to provide three separate videos depicting Burns surreptitiously pocketing medication while visiting with the victim. On at least one occasion, Burns wasn’t even scheduled to work with the victim that day, and arrived unannounced.
Burns is being charged with grand theft of a controlled substance. He is being held at the Plantation Key jail, with a bond of $26,000.
Information in the Crime Report is obtained from reports provided by area law enforcement agencies.
If you have information that could help solve a crime in the Florida Keys, call Crime Stoppers, 800-346-TIPS.