The Lady Lake Police Department issued a bulletin Thursday, asking for the public’s help in the search for a nurse believed to have stolen a credit card from an 81-year-old patient at Villages Rehab.
A felony warrant for the unauthorized use of a credit card and grand theft has been issued for 31-year-old Constance M. Perkins of Ocala.
The patient had been admitted at Villages Rehab on County Road 466 in early February. She was very sedated at the time of her arrival, but she remembered a woman entering her room, asking her for her maiden name and then leaving the room quickly, according to an investigative report from the Lady Lake Police Department.
The patient’s daughter reported that the woman’s credit card was missing and then started noticing odd purchases on the card. Purchases were made at Dick’s Sporting Goods in Ocala, Hungry Howie’s in Lady Lake, Arby’s, RaceTrac, justbats.com, Rack Room Shoes and Edible Arrangements.
A Villages Rehab supervisor told police that Perkins might be a suspect. An employee told police that she believed Perkins was part of a credit card ring. Villages Rehab personnel also pointed out that Perkins was an enthusiastic softball player and police were able to trace an email address Perkins used for the justbats.com purchase. A Hungry Howie’s manager told police that a delivery paid for with the stolen credit card had been delivered to Villages Rehab. The Hungry Howie’s delivery driver confirmed the pizza had been delivered to someone name “Connie” at Villages Rehab.
Perkins apparently stopped showing up for work when she became aware of the investigation.
If you have any information that could assist in locating Perkins, contact Detective Charles Gehrsitz of the Lady Lake Police Department at (352) 751-1542.