Nurse robs own nursing home at gunpoint, police say

Registered nurse Michael Villafana took a sick day on Nov. 26. That was also the day police say his employer, Highland Pines Nursing Home, was robbed of narcotics by a masked gunman, the St. Petersburg Times reports. Coincidence? The authorities think not. Clearwater police charged Villafana, 31, Wednesday with armed robbery. According to police, the man used an employee access code to get inside the Highland Pines Nursing Home at 111 S Highland Ave. Armed with a 9mm pistol, he robbed the staff of prescription painkillers such as hydrocodone, methadone, morphine and oxycodone. Investigators say they later determined Villafana is addicted to pain medication. Police say they recovered a gun and drugs from the robbery. Villafana, of 600 Starkey Road in Largo, is in the Pinellas County jail in lieu of $50,000 bail. He pleaded not guilty on Wednesday.