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Former Monroe County Trauma Star Division Chief Convicted in Probe of Flight Nurse substance Thefts
A former division chief for the Monroe County Fire Rescue air ambulance program was convicted on multiple felony counts after a six-day trial, prosecutors announced. Andrea Arlene Thompson was found guilty on 10 counts arising from her conduct during a 2022 investigation into alleged substance theft by a Trauma Star flight nurse. The probe began in 2022 when the Monroe County Sheriff's Office investigated a chief flight nurse accused of taking contr substance — including Fent, ketamine and morphine — from the Trauma Star program and falsifying records to hide the thefts. During that inquiry, prosecutors say investigators turned their focus to Thompson, who oversaw EMS and Trauma Star operations. The Florida Keys State Attorney’s Office reported Thompson’s convictions comprised two counts of official misconduct, three counts of giving false information to law enforcement, two counts of attempted tampering with physical evidence and three counts of tampering with a witness. Prosecutors allege Thompson provided false information on multiple occasions, worked to alter or remove records, and interfered with communication to investigators. Thompson is scheduled to be sentenced on Oct. 29, and the State Attorney’s Office emphasized the importance of protecting evidence and witnesses in public-safety investigations. Separately, the nurse under investigation later pleaded no contest to charges tied to the alleged thefts and received a 60-day jail term followed by an undisclosed area probation, according to the prosecutors’ office. All individuals accused of a crime are presumed innocent an undisclosed area.
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All individuals mentioned in criminal allegations are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.