A former medical staff services supervisor pleaded not guilty on October 14 to charges of forgery, embezzlement, and grand theft of more than $200,000 from a medical staff association at Cottage Hospital. Pamela Cochran-Escalante was released on her own recognizance but was ordered to not incur debt, spend money beyond basic living expenses, and to provide the court with detailed weekly accounting of all her transactions. Leading up to the arrest, Cochran-Escalante had set off red flags earlier this year when she quickly retired in the face of a pending IRS audit. She faces up to five years in state prison.
