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Bond raised for ex-jailer accused of dressing as doctor to steal drugs from hospitals

Ryan Epperson sits in Hamilton County General Sessions Judge Christine Mahn Sell's courtroom.
Ryan Epperson sits in Hamilton County General Sessions Judge Christine Mahn Sell's courtroom.

By Shelly Bradbury 3 min read

A criminal court judge on Monday nearly tripled the bond for an ex-jailer who is accused of dressing up as a doctor and stealing drugs from Chattanooga hospitals. The bond change came five days after after the man was arrested again during a hospital burglary attempt.

Ryan Epperson, 26, was initially arrested in May and charged with stealing medication from local hospitals, then released on a $93,000 bond. He was arrested again on Aug. 19 after police say he sneaked into Erlanger once again and attempted to steal medication.

photo Ryan Epperson

On Monday, Hamilton County Criminal Judge Don Poole increased Epperson’s bond to $253,500 and ordered the ex-jailer back into custody. After the decision, attorney Bill Speek, who represents Epperson, said his client is dealing with an addiction.

“He is a good individual struggling with a very serious addiction,” he said. “We think treatment, rather than incarceration, would benefit him more.”

Police say Epperson sneaked into Erlanger East on Aug. 15 and Erlanger’s downtown campus Aug. 18 – even though he was out on bond on charges stemming from the May incident.