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A Lewis County woman and her son have been accused of stealing a bag full of prescription painkillers and other drugs from Providence Centralia Hospital in July, according to court documents.
Suzanna M. Ayres, 58, of Curtis, appeared in Lewis County Superior Court Tuesday in response to a summons for charges of first-degree theft and possession of a controlled substance.
According to court documents, she was caught on camera with her son, identified as James Ayres-Brewer, 28, at the hospital with a bag later found to contain about $10,000 in prescription drugs including morphine, fentanyl, lorazepam, midazolam and ketamine.
Ayres-Brewer was booked into the Lewis County Jail Monday on charges of first-degree theft, possession of a controlled substance and taking a vehicle without permission and is being held on $20,000 bail.
Suzanna Ayres was released from court Tuesday on her own recognizance.
According to court documents, on July 22, Centralia police responded to Providence Centralia Hospital in Centralia after an employee found a bag of medication underneath a bush.
The employee, a security officer, reported that he noticed a distinct-looking Conterra medical bag when he pulled into the parking lot.
The security officer retrieved the bag and brought it back to the hospital, where he learned it had been taken from the hospital’s pharmacy, according to court documents and contained copious amounts of prescription drugs, including painkillers and other mind-altering drugs.
Security camera footage caught Ayres pushing Ayres-Brewer out of the emergency room on July 22 in a wheelchair. Ayres-Brewer reportedly had the stolen bag between his legs.
The video reportedly shows the pair stopping near the bush where the security officer later found the bag. The video also shows Ayres-Brewer go back to the emergency room to return the wheelchair, and shows him looking in the area where the bag was discovered, according to court documents.
