JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — In a significant development, the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office has apprehended two individuals suspected of stealing robotic surgical arms worth a staggering $14.5 million from St. Vincent’s Hospital.

The investigation revealed that Angela Kearse, 57, who worked as a surgical assistant at the Riverside branch of St. Vincent’s, was arrested on December 27, 2024. Reports indicate Kearse allegedly used her employee badge to gain access to the Southside location, where the theft took place on Christmas Day.

Steve Barreira, the hospital’s security manager, initially reported the missing equipment from the Southside facility. Upon reviewing surveillance footage, security personnel identified Kearse in images and video carrying duffel bags and cardboard boxes, later confirmed to contain the stolen robotic arms, as she exited the premises at around 3 a.m.

At the outset of the investigation, the stolen equipment was estimated to be valued at $60,000, leading to Kearse’s arrest on charges of grand theft.

Further scrutiny by the hospital’s security and legal teams, including comprehensive checks of inventory logs, video footage, and access badge data, uncovered a series of similar thefts involving multiple suspects dating back to 2020. These findings indicate that approximately $14 million worth of robotic surgical arms had been illicitly removed from both the Southside location and other facilities under the Ascension network over the past few years.

JSO said between January 2025 and March 2025, multiple St Vincent’s employees were interviewed and on March 6th, a director of surgical services identified Surgi Shop and West Coast Medical Resources as third-party surplus retailers who they say are known to purchase overstock medical equipment through vendors. 

Surgi Shop was contacted and their attorney, Eddie Suarez, said that they had purchased surgical robotic arms from a Michael Roberson, who reportedly operated as a wholesaler for businesses known as I Medical and Roberson International. 

Suarez stated that Surgi Shop had robotic arms purchased from Roberson and provided documentation of their purchases and communications. Suarez said Surgi Shop had quarantined 34 robotic arms pending the outcome of the investigation.

St. Vincent’s Regional Operating Officer Tyler Limbaugh and JSO met with Surgi Shop and discovered that the serial numbers on the arms matched those that were unaccounted for in St. Vincent’s system.

On Dec. 11, 2025, Limbaugh again met with JSO to review purchase and sale records associated with Michael Roberson. The records documented sales with Surgi Shop from June 2024 to December 2024 and West Coast Medical Resources from July 2018 to March 2022. 

A financial analysis revealed that unused surgical instruments valued at approximately $14.25 million were missing, which police say closely corroborated the previously estimated loss of $14.58 million. The value of robotic arms sold to Surgi Shop and West Coast Medical Resources totaled over $4.6 million. 

Between December 2024 and January 2026, JSO said they conducted interviews with Angela Kearse, who said she first met Roberson in 2023 at a local poker room where she worked as a card dealer. According to her, they later developed a personal relationship.

Kearse told police Roberson identified himself as a local radiology sales representative, and that he orchestrated the theft and staging of surgical robotic arms from St Vincent’s Hospital with the assistance of another subject previously employed by St. Vincent’s during the relevant time periods.

Kearse said that after the robotic arms were stolen, she would meet Roberson in Orange Park to transfer the stolen property. Kearse said she received 15 payments from Roberson totaling a little over $7,000.

Kearse has pleaded guilty to grand theft and is scheduled to be sentenced on March 5.

Roberson has been charged with grand theft, dealing in stolen property, and criminal attempt. He has been released on bond and is scheduled to appear in court on March 4.