Steven Brandenburg: 5 quick facts you need to know

Steven Brandenburg is a pharmacist in Grafton, Wisconsin, accused of altering COVID-19 vaccine doses, according to prison data.

A prosecutor said in a virtual hearing that his reason was the belief that the vaccine was unsafe. The prosecutor also said that Brandenburg brought a weapon to work twice. He believed the vaccine could change people’s DNA, according to a probable cause statement, which he claims he acknowledged and is a conspiracy theorist.

Brandenburg was sent to the Ozaukee County Jail, which is located in a suburban area near Milwaukee, on preliminary charges of criminal damage to property and second-degree security-threatening security, both of which are crimes. He is described in prison records as a 46-year-old white man. No deposit amount is listed. The date of custody is December 31, 2020.

Police described a scenario in which the pharmacist is accused of manipulating vaccines to make them useless before they are given to people.

“Detectives Grafton indicate that the individual knew that pampered vaccinations would be unnecessary and that people who received the vaccinations would think they were vaccinated against the virus when, in fact, they were not,” a police press release said.

Here is the booking form:

Here’s what you need to know:

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1. Grafton police accuse pharmacist of intentionally destroying 57 vials containing 570 doses of COVID-19 vaccine

The Wisconsin Wisconsin Police Department wrote in a December 31 press release that it had arrested a pharmacist for “intentionally destroying several ampoules of COVID-19 vaccinations at the Aurora Advocate Health Hospital in Grafton.”

The statement said that a former employee of the Aurora Health Hospital in Grafton was arrested on the afternoon of December 31 for “manipulating and causing the destruction of 57 vials containing approximately 570 doses of the new Coronavirus vaccine.”

Grafton Police were called to the Aurora Health Advocate Hospital in Grafton on December 30, in a report that a former pharmacy employee intentionally removed the vaccines from the cold store and let them stay overnight, rendering approximately 570 doses of vaccine. “Useless”, according to health professionals. Grafton police immediately began the investigation to establish a reason and what criminal charges could be filed.

As of January 2, 2021, no criminal charges have been formally filed. Aurora’s president says it was a “situation involving a bad actor, not a bad trial.”

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2. Aurora Health originally painted the incident as an accident; Brandenburg has a pharmacist’s license valid in the state of Wisconsin

According to Wisconsin Department of Safety and Professional Services records, Steven R. Brandenburg is a licensed pharmacist. Its location is given as Saukville, Wisconsin, and its license is current. It was granted on August 22, 1997 and was listed as good until May 31, 2022. It is listed as meeting all requirements and has no orders under its license.

According to police, the investigation showed that a former pharmacist, resident in Grafton, “took the bottles out of the cold store knowing that they would not be able to be used. Aurora’s preliminary investigation into the incident, which was originally reported in the news on Saturday, December 26, 2020, determined the incident to be accidental. “

However, after receiving additional information, Aurora Health’s public safety sector “began a deeper dive into the incident and found that the vials had been intentionally removed by the pharmacist. In a written statement to public safety officials Aurora Health, the former employee admitted that he intentionally disposed of the vaccine knowing that if it is not stored properly, the vaccine would be ineffective, “said police.

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3. Patients actually received the vials, but were not injured, says the release; The pharmacist is in the middle of a divorce

The police statement said that Grafton police detectives noticed that the 57 doses of vaccine had been distributed to patients, but, according to Aurora health officials, there were no health problems related to the altered doses. The doses are actually “useless”.

The value of the altered doses was estimated to be between $ 8,000 and $ 11,000.

Police arrested Brandenburg on the recommended charges of recklessly endangering safety (a class F offense), adulteration of a prescription drug (a class H offense) and property damage to property (a class I offense). ). However, only two of the three charges are listed in the prison files; the recommended fee for adulteration of a prescription drug is not included in the Brandenburg booking information.

Aurora Health says it has delivered more than 23,000 vaccines to front-line “team members.” The president of the company said in a virtual press conference that there is no evidence that the vaccines already administered have made patients unsafe.
WISN-TV reported that its reporters tried to talk to Brandenburg’s “estranged wife,” but she declined to comment.

“(I followed him) I handcuffed him. He was behind the team, “said Darlene Scow, who lives on her street at WISN. “My reaction is that I hope it stays for a long time, because there are people who should have received those blows and what happens if I get the virus now? It’s horrible that someone would do this on purpose, they would have done it deliberately. “

Wisconsin court records show that the pharmacist’s wife is the petitioner in an ongoing divorce filed in June. According to records, minor children are involved in divorce. The parties “request to circumvent the mediation and appoint a LAG”, the case says, referring to a Guardian Ad Litem, a lawyer representing children, who was then appointed. The court files indicate that in November there was an urgent request by Brandenburg’s lawyer, which was opposed by Brandenburg’s estranged wife’s lawyer. “The court issues the order to suspend the placement due to COVID”, the records say, although it does not explain further.

In 2004, Brandenburg was the petitioner in a previous divorce.

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4. Wisconsin has administered more than 47,000 vaccines, but this is only part of those allocated to the state

As of December 29, the latest available statistics, the state of Wisconsin has been allocated 265,575 COVID-19 vaccines from the federal government. Of these, 156,875 were shipped and 47,157 were administered, according to state statistics. The number of vaccines administered decreased during the Christmas week.

Wisconsin saw a huge increase in COVID-19 cases, with over 480,000 confirmed cases. More than 2.8 million people were tested. Ninety-three percent of people have recovered and there are more than 28,000 active cases.

According to state statistics, 1% of people died, ie 4,859. More than 21,000 have ever been hospitalized. This is 4.4% of the total.

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5. The reason is not clear, but officials say Brandenburg has agreed to remove the vaccine from the refrigerator

Authorities did not disclose a reason for the alleged manipulation.

Aurora Health President Dr. Jeffrey Bahr said in a virtual press conference: “On Saturday, December 26, early in the morning, one of our pharmacy technicians discovered what turned out to be 57 bottles of Modern vaccine, enough for about 570 doses, except for the refrigerator in which those vials were stored. “

He said: “We are not in a position to make any decisions at this time”, saying that the authorities have studied this in their investigation.

The vaccine vials “were returned to the refrigerator,” and the technician reported the incident. The pharmacist claimed it was an “unintentional mistake” at first. They later determined that the vaccine “can still be given” because it has a shelf life of 12 hours.

An internal review continued.

He added: “In the following days, as we continued our internal analysis, we became more and more suspicious about the behavior of the individual in question. The individual was suspended and after several interviews during the week, he admitted yesterday that he intentionally removed the vaccine from the refrigerator. “

The 57 vaccinations have become less effective or ineffective. The 57 people were notified. “The vaccination program here remains safe and critical to get us out of the pandemic,” Bahr said, noting that it is now a matter of law enforcement.

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