RALSTON, Okla. — A sheriff says it's likely that a 27-year-old man accused of stealing syringes from an eastern Oklahoma hospital is responsible for medical waste that was dumped in the Arkansas River.
But Pawnee County Sheriff Mike Waters said he can't yet confirm the link between the man and the waste — including syringes, vials and patient ID bracelets — that recently washed up near Ralston, about 60 miles northeast of Tulsa.
Tulsa police arrested the man Monday on complaints of larceny of a controlled dangerous substance and possession of a controlled dangerous substance.
According to an arrest report, he was detained about 4 a.m. Monday by security at St. John Medical Center in Tulsa after they found him stealing syringes and controlled substances from "biohazard sharps containers."