Angela Kearse, 58, has pleaded guilty to stealing over $60,000 worth of robotic surgical arms from St. Vincent’s Medical Center Southside, where she worked, according to court records. Hospital staff noticed the missing equipment during late-December inventory checks, with photos from Dec. 24 and Dec. 26 showing a significant drop in inventory. Kearse entered her guilty plea on Jan. 29 and is scheduled for sentencing on March 5.
Where the parts came from
The stolen equipment was tracked back to Ascension St. Vincent’s Medical Center Southside, listed at 4201 Belfort Road in Jacksonville’s Southside medical corridor. The Southside campus is part of the broader Ascension St. Vincent’s network, which operates additional facilities in the area. The hospital’s public listing confirms both the Southside address and its role as a community surgical center.
Investigation and guilty plea
According to court documents and local reporting, Kearse worked as a surgical assistant and used her staff badge to access the Southside campus on weekends and holidays, when fewer people were around. Security later reviewed surveillance footage and badge logs that showed her leaving the hospital around 3 a.m. on Dec. 25, carrying duffel bags and cardboard boxes believed to contain robotic arms. Inventory photos taken before and after Christmas documented that more than half of the affected property was missing by Dec. 26, and police say Kearse admitted taking the equipment and involving an accomplice, as reported by News4JAX.
Charges and sentence
Kearse entered a guilty plea on Jan. 29 to the thefts and is set to return to court for sentencing. She faces a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison, according to News4JAX, and the judge scheduled a March 5 hearing to determine her punishment. Prosecutors told investigators the total value of the stolen robotic arms exceeded $60,000.
Why the case matters
Robotic surgical components are high-value items that are closely monitored, and their loss can delay procedures and increase costs for sterile processing and supply chain teams. The case has prompted questions about staff access controls and inventory auditing at hospitals that rely on expensive surgical technology.
