BPD dispatchers received a call regarding Martin being transported in an ambulance to Monroe Hospital, Kovach said. Martin had an IV in his arm and was receiving treatment when officers arrived, so they waited for him to be discharged. After Martin was discharged, officers arrested him for being wanted on a warrant for probation violation.
When officers patted him down, they discovered he had four 20-gauge IV CATHLON catheters in his right cargo pant pocket and a roll of clear tape, roughly 20 alcohol swabs and 20 band-aids in his left pocket. A nurse at the hospital identified the materials as ones that belonged to the hospital, so Martin was also arrested on preliminary charges of theft.
Because of a prior conviction, Martin’s theft charge was upgraded to a felony, Kovach said. The nurse said the CATHLONs were valued at $3.28 apiece.
Andy Wittry