Med tech was drinking firm's drugs, cops say

ADREXEL HILL medical technician's drinking and drug problem were one and the same, according to Upper Darby police, who arrested the man Saturday for allegedly stealing morphine and fentanyl syringes from his employer that he then emptied and drank as painkiller cocktails.

Ronald Ferrell, 35, began working for STAT Medical Transport of Drexel Hill in September, and it took his employer just three months to notice that Ferrell's patients seemed to be speeding through morphine and fentanyl, police said.

Upper Darby Police Superintendent Michael Chitwood said that before Ferrell began his employment with STAT, the company had gone through just two morphine syringes and four fentanyl syringes in seven months. However, in the three months after Ferrell was hired, Chitwood said, it went through 28 of morphine and 26 of fentanyl.

Ferrell showed positive for morphine when tested by the company, which contacted police, Chitwood said. "He became addicted to his own profession and now he's a street criminal," he said.

Ferrell was charged with a dozen counts of theft, receiving stolen property and related offenses. He is scheduled for a preliminary hearing on Tuesday.