State employee banned from state hospital after arrest on 'ghost gun' charge

PROVIDENCE − A carpenter working for the state-run Eleanor Slater Hospital has been placed on paid leave, banned from the hospital campus − and placed under a no-contact order − following his arrest on a "ghost gun" charge.

The no-trespass/no-contact order was issued against Kenneth Fullam, 60, of Burrillville as a condition for his release on bail, following his Nov. 23 arrest by the Rhode Island State Police.

He was charged with one felony count of violating the state's prohibition against the manufacture, sale − attempt to sell − and possession of an undetectable firearm such as those produced by a 3D print process.

Fullam is listed on the state's online employee payroll as a $48,817.60 a year carpenter on the Department of Administration payroll, but stationed at the Zambarano campus of the state hospital in Burrillville.

It was not immediately clear why the court filing laying out the conditions for his release on bail barred him from the state hospital campus and contact with two individuals whose names are illegible.

More Eleanor Slater Hospital news:Report recommends creation of a state Department of Hospitals to run Eleanor Slater

But an email that went out to hospital employees on Wednesday, after The Journal started asking questions, said: "A Department of Administration employee allegedly had a weapon in a non-hospital facility across the street from the hospital grounds.

"DOA immediately notified the Rhode Island State Police. The State Police removed a weapon and subsequently arrested the employee."

According to an affidavit supporting the search warrant that the State Police provided The Journal on Thursday: state officials initiated the investigation in response to acomplaint by an unidentified co-worker of Fullam that originally came in on Oct. 19, that "an employee at the motorpool building at the Eleanor Slater Hospital-Zambrano Unit was storing a firearm."

After convincing Fullam to unlock a locker containing what he had described as "personal belongings," one of the state officials on scene "located a black AR-15 platform firearm... [that] had no serial number or identification markings."

"Admininstration also located one silver lower receiver for a firearm (22RIX3-334-PR) with no serial number or identification markings, two boxes of spent shell casings (22RIX3-335-PR), and one box of reloadable projectiles(22RIX3-336-PR)."

"That's not mine,'' Fullam allegedly told the state officials. "I was hoping you wouldn't find that," the affidavit says.

The State Police were called in.

More:Psychiatric hospital could qualify RI for up to $40M a year in Medicaid reimbursements

More:Rafe's battle ends: How one man's ordeal in RI's mental health system led to suicide

"The investigation is on-going and the employee has been placed on administrative leave. We cannot comment further on this personnel matter."

Randal Edgar, a spokesman for the state agency that runs the hospital, the Department of Behavioral Healthcare, Developmental Disabilities and Hospitals, would neither confirm nor deny reports by state hospital staff that Fullam is one of two state employees with a nexus to the Zambarano wing of the state hospital who were placed on leave amid concerns about firearms on the hospital campus in Burrillville.

Edgar referred all questions to the Department of Administration and the State Police, which also declined comment on the circumstances that precipitated Fullam's arrest at his home in Burrillville.

"This matter is under investigation and is open at this time," Lt. Col. Robert Creamer told The Journal.

Adminstration spokeswoman Laura Hart confirmed that Rodney Kenyon, the $57,520 chief of transportation duties at the Zambarano hospital - including blood/urine transport and patient trip coordination - was also placed on paid leave recently. Neither she nor Edgar responded to questions about the reason for the action.