Woman, 47, charged in theft of ring

As we reported here a few weeks ago that an engagement ring was stolen off a dead women’s hand, we are finally able to report the rest of the story.

A 47-year-old Licking woman, who was a nurse’s aide at Phelps County Regional Medical Center, has been charged with a felony count of receiving stolen property as a result of an engagement ring that turned up missing from the victim a fatal traffic accident.Pamela A. Chapman, of Licking, who was assisting in the hospital morgue on March 18, is out on $20,000 bond for the alleged theft of an engagement ring valued at $15,924.The arrest of Chapman ends a two-plus month investigation involving PCRMC Public Safety Officers, the Rolla Police Department, and officers of the Licking Police Department.

“I wish this alleged event had not happened here, but I understand things like this do occur,” said PCRMC Chief Executive Officer John Denbo. “Thanks to an extensive investigation by Officer (Hank) Harper, this is coming to an end instead of some unexplained occurrence. I’m glad we know what happened or at least what allegedly happened,” Denbo said from his office Thursday.Denbo credited the work of Harper, Rick Hanrahan, director of Public Safety at the hospital, the Rolla Police Department for bringing closure to the investigation.On March 18, John Long and his fiancee Meghan Calahan were involved in a fatal traffic accident on State Route B near St. James in which Calahan, 22, was killed.

Calahan’s body was transported to Phelps County Regional Medical Center where it was examined by Phelps County Coroner Larry Swinfard. Calahan was wearing several rings and jewelry, including a 14-carat diamond engagement ring, which Long had designed at Hannoush Jewelers. The jewelry was removed and secured together with a paper clip.The clip with the jewelry allegedly was handed to Chapman, who was assisting the nurse who then secured the rings to Calahan’s body. The body was then placed into a locked morgue at the hospital, according to the probable cause statement for Chapman’s arrest.Three days later, Swinfard was informed the engagement ring was missing, who then reported the missing ring to the Rolla Police Department.

On March 28, PCRMC Public Safety Officer Harper interviewed Chapman, who denied knowledge of the engagement ring, and the investigation had stalled.About two months later -- on May 24 -- Leanna Chapman, an employee at a Cabool hospital, was wearing an engagement ring at work. A fellow Cahool hospital employee, Jeri Foster, questioned Leanna Chapman about the origin of the ring and was allegedly told her aunt, Pamela Chapman, found the ring in an elevator at the PCRMC.Foster became suspicious and called the PCRMC Public Safety Office. Harper, Lt. Ken Nakanishi of the Rolla Police Department and an officer of the Licking Police Department went to Pamela Chapman’s home at 110 Sackett St. in Licking where they spoke to the woman.

The ring was retrieved by Leanna Chapman, who said she borrowed the ring from her aunt, Pamela Chapman, and upon inspection found the ring was identical to the missing one belonging to Calahan.Pamela Chapman, although interviewed about a missing ring by Harper shortly after Calahan’s ring was discovered missing in March, said she did not tell Harper about finding a ring because she believed the rings to be of different values.Subsequently, Long, Calahan’s fiance, filed a claim with State Farm for the missing ring and the claim was approved for $9,747.50. Photos of the ring were e-mailed to Long, who positively identified the ring as Calahan’s engagement ring.

Chapman, shortly after the ring was discovered in her possession, was fired from the hospital. She had been a PCRMC employee for nearly four years.“She was terminated on May 24,” Denbo said. “All of our employees go through background checks. There was nothing found (in her background check).”

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