Hospital roamer pleads guilty
WAYNESBURG – A Waynesburg man arrested after roaming halls and entering patient rooms at Southwest Regional Medical Center over a period of two months pleaded guilty in Greene County Court this week to criminal trespass and defiant trespass.
Ryan Avery-Vaughn Tyler, 26, of 155 N. Woodland Ave., Apartment 57B, was sentenced to 19 days to one year in jail with credit of 19 days served. This sentence is consecutive to a sentence of 13 days to 23 ½ months he received in February after he pleaded guilty to theft from a motor vehicle and receiving stolen property. In that case, Tyler stole $180 from a vehicle parked in front of 405 Route 88, Carmichaels, on July 17, 2013.
Police said Tyler, who formerly lived at 112 Burton Ave., Washington, continued to wander through the hospital, despite being told he could only be there if seeking medical treatment.
According to a criminal complaint, Tyler was discovered by hospital personnel in patient rooms and employee areas. When confronted he claimed he was a speech therapist transferred there from Washington Hospital.
State police confronted Tyler at his residence in February and told him to stay away from the hospital unless in need of medical attention. In March, he was again discovered roaming the hospital. When confronted, Tyler reluctantly left the premises, according to the complaint.
At a June 4 plea court in Washington County, Tyler pleaded guilty in three separate cases from June 27, July 5, and July 7. Charges in those cases include theft from a motor vehicle, criminal trespass, burglary and theft by unlawful taking. He received a combined sentence for these cases of 15 to 30 months in jail followed by three years’ probation.
Tyler faces additional charges in Greene County after his arrest May 20 for allegedly stealing a weapon from a vehicle parked in front of a residence on Water Dam Road last July. He is charged with theft by unlawful taking, receiving stolen property and theft from a motor vehicle in the case.
In both of these cases and the July 5 case in Washington County, Tyler told those he encountered that he was looking for his lost dog to avoid their suspicion.
Tyler has been in Greene County jail since March 27 when he was arrested for wandering in the hospital.