Phone swiped from woman during surgery

Roswell Police are investigating a woman’s claim that someone stole an expensive smartphone from her hospital room.

Kathleen Lawler told Georgia Newsday it happened at North Fulton Regional Hospital while she was recuperating from a recent back surgery. Lawler said when she discovered the phone missing she notified a nurse who began looking for it.

”She checked every place, the kitchen and the laundry and couldn’t find it anywhere, she said.

After Lawler notified her cellphone provider to have the phone deactivated, she leaed that someone had made more than 100 calls from it. When she tried to replace it she leaed she’d have to spend nearly $500.

”I need that phone back because it’s critical to me in finding a job, she said. Lawler said she feels violated the theft happened to her while in the hospital.

”You should feel safe enough to leave it on the dresser and not worry about it being stolen, she said. Lawler sent her jewelry and other valuables home with a relative before her surgery.

North Fulton Regional Hospital’s director of business development emailed Georgia Newsday to say the hospital’s security officers have not yet received a report about the stolen smartphone.

”The hospital does have a valuable items security policy, wrote Lindsey Harber.  ”Per this policy, patients are provided a location within the facility to lock up any valuable items.  All patients have the option of utilizing this service and are encouraged to do so.

Harber gave Georgia Newsday a list of patient policies that explicitly states the hospital isn’t liable for thefts of items unless they were taken from the hospital’s lock-up location. Roswell Police told Georgia Newsday there have been eight reported thefts at the hospital since January.