Police: California nurse admits stealing credit card from patient, runs up $1K in charges

FOUNTAIN VALLEY, Calif. — A California nurse is accused of stealing a credit card from a hospital patient and using it to run up more than $1,000 in charges, authorities said.

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Guadalupe De La Paz, 48, of Fountain Valley, was arrested on Oct. 14 and charged with theft from an elderly dependent adult, burglary, petty theft, and unauthorized use of a credit card, KCBS reported. She was booked into the Orange County Jail, police said.

According to the Fountain Valley Police Department’s Facebook page, officers were called to Fountain Valley Regional Hospital on Sept. 24 after a 77-year-old recent patient said her credit card had been stolen and more than $1,000 in fraudulent charges had been made.

According to police, De La Paz was a certified nursing assistant at the hospital during the time of the theft, KCBS reported. Detectives contacted De La Paz at her home on Oct. 14, where she admitted to the theft, police said.

In a subsequent search in De La Paz’s vehicle, Fountain Valley police said they found another credit card, which was determined to be lost property, the television station reported.

Police said they did not know if De La Paz is employed at other medical facilities.

Cox Media Group