A pharmacist accused of trying to destroy hundreds of doses of coronavirus vaccine is allegedly a conspiracy theorist who believes the medication is not safe, Wisconsin authorities said Monday.
Steven Brandenburg, 46, was ordered during a brief appearance to be held instead of a $ 10,000 bond by Judge Paul Malloy of Ozaukee County Circuit Court.
Police in Grafton, about 20 miles north of Milwaukee, arrested attorney Aurora Health Pharmacist on Thursday after 57 vials of the Moderna vaccine were apparently spoiled. Brandenburg took the vaccine doses from a refrigerator and left them out for 12 hours, which made it potentially useless, police said.
Each vial contained 10 doses and was worth a total of between $ 8,550 and $ 11,400, according to a probable statement from Grafton Police Det.-Sgt. Eric Sutherland.
Brandenburg is an ‘admitted conspiracy theorist’ and he ‘told investigators that he believes the Covid-19 vaccine is not safe for humans and that it could harm them and change their DNA,’ Sutherland wrote.
“He acknowledged it was an intentional act,” the probable cause added.
Brandenburg was initially booked for recklessly endangering security, falsifying a prescribed medicine and damaging criminal property.
However, it was not immediately clear whether Brandenburg’s action ruined the doses or that it could still be administered effectively, said Adam Gerol, DA of Ozaukee County.
According to Gerold, Moderna officials will have to investigate the doses and deduce whether they have been destroyed.
If the doses were not destroyed, even though it was left outside the refrigerator, the charges could be downgraded, the prosecutor said.
Brandenburg does not have to file a lawsuit during this first court appearance. The highly procedural trial was virtually held to comply with the coronavirus safety protocols.
While the judge and prosecutor were in court, Brandenburg appeared from jail and his lawyer from another country. The defense attorney acknowledged his presence on behalf of Brandenburg, but apparently made no other substantive comments.
