By David Goodhue
Miami Herald
MONROE COUNTY, Fla. — A grand jury Thursday indicted two top officials with Monroe County’s air ambulance program as part of an ongoing investigation into a chief flight nurse accused of stealing medications to feed her addictions.
Dr. Sandra Schwemmer, the medical director of the county’s Fire Rescue and Trauma Star ambulance program, is charged with one count of official misconduct, one count of providing false information to law enforcement and one count of altering patient records.
Capt. Andrea Thompson, chief of the county’s Emergency Medical Services and Trauma Star, is charged with two counts of official misconduct, one count of providing false information to law enforcement, two counts of evidence tampering, three counts of witness tampering and one count of altering patient records.
A judge set Schwemmer’s bond at $100,000 and Thompson’s at $250,000.
The women couldn’t be reached for comment. Information about their legal representation was not immediately available.
As medical director, the 72-year-old Schwemmer is responsible for the control and use of all drugs administered by all fire departments within the county.
Both Schwemmer and Thompson, 45, were at the center of a 2013 sheriff’s office investigation into drugs that disappeared from Trauma Star’s hangar. No criminal charges resulted from that probe.
Their Aug. 8 indictments are part of the investigation by the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office and State Attorney’s Office into Lynda Rusinowski, the county’s former chief flight nurse. A grand jury indicted her last week on 36 counts, including 10 counts of grand theft.
According to the Aug. 8 indictment against Schwemmer, she gave false statements to sheriff’s office detectives in the summer of 2022 during their investigation into Rusinowski. The indictment also says she “fraudulently” altered, defaced or falsified a medical record that was evidence in that investigation.
The grand jury said Thompson tampered with two witnesses and evidence in the investigation into Rusinowski, as well as gave detectives false information..
Rusinowski, 58, is accused of stealing medical-grade narcotics from Trauma Star’s hangar, including fentanyl, Dilaudid, versed, ketamine and morphine. The other 26 counts are related to Rusinowski falsifying records to conceal the theft of the drugs.
Impact of opioid addiction on public safety
The issue first came to light on July 25, 2022, when fire rescue colleagues confronted her with discrepancies in inventory records. According to the Monroe State Attorney’s Office, she admitted to stealing the drugs and said she needed help for addiction.
Thompson then drove her to a detox facility in Palm Beach County. Rusinowski resigned from Monroe County Fire Rescue in August 2022, and the sheriff’s office arrested her a month later on felony grand theft and fraud charges.
Rusinowski has pleaded not guilty in her original arrest, and her attorney Edward McGee declined to comment on the latest indictment when reached by the Miami Herald Friday, saying he has not seen the Aug. 2 charging document.
Last week’s indictment of Rusinowski is connected to the original investigation “as well as additional evidence discovered that brought to light significant abuse of her position and trust, the State Attorney’s Office said in a statement.
”The theft of highly potent medical-grade narcotics is a grave offense that endangers lives and undermines the integrity of our public institutions. This case represents a significant breach of public trust, and we are committed to ensuring justice is served,” Monroe County State Attorney Dennis Ward said in a statement.
Trauma Star is a three-helicopter operation on call 24/7.
The choppers routinely saves lives by taking the most seriously injured or sick patients by helicopter to hospitals in Miami-Dade, which has specialized trauma care not available in the Florida Keys.
Monroe County responds
Kristen Livengood, spokeswoman for Monroe County and the Fire Rescue department, said the contract with Schwemmer’s company is being terminated “effective immediately” in the wake of the indictment. The county had been paying her $124,842.50 annually, Livengood said.
She is being replaced by Key West Fire Rescue Medical Director Dr. Antonion Gandia, Livengood said.
Thompson, whose annual salary was $151,127.87, has been suspended without pay pending a pre-determination hearing, said Livengood, adding the date of the hearing has not been scheduled. She was hired in July 2001.
Her replacement for now is Deputy Chief R.L. Colina, according to Livengood.
“These are serious criminal charges brought forward from a separate review by the State Attorney’s Office independent of the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office investigation, and we are taking these allegations very seriously,” Acting County Administrator Kevin Wilson said in a statement. “We will follow due process during our internal investigations while we await formal court proceedings. Our first priority is to ensure that the county’s emergency services continue to provide excellent care to our residents and visitors without interruptions.”
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