Paramedic cut diamond ring off dying patient and pawned it, Arkansas police say

A paramedic in Arkansas has been arrested after police say she pawned a diamond ring that she’d cut off a dying patient’s finger.

Last month, Gloria Robinson suffered a medical emergency and was transferred to a Hot Springs hospital where she was pronounced dead, THV reported.

When officials returned Robinson’s belongings to her family, they noticed some items were missing: three rings, according to the outlet. Robinson’s sister asked paramedic Lisa Glaze, 50, if she knew where the rings had gone, but the woman told police Glaze walked off without answering.

Two rings were eventually recovered, but the third — a 1.7 carat marquis cut diamond on a gold band — remained missing, the Hot Springs Sentinel Record reported.

Just over a week after the ring went missing, police say Glaze sold it to a pawn shop for $45, according to the newspaper. An employee noticed the ring had been cut and contacted police.

The ring was appraised at $7,949.63, court records indicate.

Glaze was arrested Monday and charged with felony theft and a misdemeanor count of transfer of stolen property to a pawn shop, according to court records. She’s due back in court on Nov. 26.

A similar incident took place in Ohio last year when a paramedic swiped money out of a dead man’s pocket, McClatchy news group reported.

The paramedic was tasked with transporting a man’s body to a funeral home following a fatal car crash, according to McClatchy.

Officials say a firefighter saw the paramedic take a money clip from the man’s pocket. When the paramedic was patted down, officials found the money clip — which had $42 inside, McClatchy reported. He was charged with theft.

This story was originally published November 13, 2019 at 3:01 PM with the headline "Paramedic cut diamond ring off dying patient and pawned it, Arkansas police say."