Dental office worker accused of stealing $22K, pulling 13 teeth from patient

Nexstar Media Wire

Updated: Jul 17, 2021 / 06:02 AM CDT

Laurel Eich, 42, of Reno. (Washoe County Sheriff’s Office)

(NEXSTAR) — Sheriff’s detectives arrested a dental office employee who they say burglarized a Nevada dental office and later admitted to extracting 13 teeth from a single patient, despite not having a license for the procedure.

Reno resident Laurel Eich, 42, faces multiple felonies after she allegedly broke into the Sun Valley business and made off with $22,861 in cash and checks, according to the Washoe County Sheriff’s Office.

Detectives arrested Eich Wednesday after an investigation that began May 3 when officers responded to an after-hours alarm call and found the office door ajar and a back window broken. The only thing missing, investigators say, was the money.

Eich, who ultimately became a person of interest in the break-in and theft, admitted to detectives and “multiple people” that she had also performed 13 tooth extractions on a single patient at an earlier time, according to a news release Thursday. She allegedly used anesthetic that had been disposed of by the dental office.

Eich now faces felony counts of performing surgery without a license; burglary of a business, second (or more) offense; grand larceny greater than $5,000 but less than $25,000; and violation of probation. She was also arrested on one gross misdemeanor count of conspiracy to commit burglary.