A woman who allegedly sold flu shots then fled when her credentials were questioned was giving people the real vaccine, and was trying to raise money for her daughter’s school fund-raiser, her ex-husband said.
Michelle Lynn Torgerson, 33, of Albertville, was arrested Friday on suspicion of theft and drug possession, and posted $10,000 bail Sunday. Police seized vials with a substance inside when they arrested her, said Capt. Rich Stanek.
Police and school officials said faculty and students at Augsburg College in Minneapolis paid Michelle Torgerson $20 each for the flu shots. Chad Torgerson told the St. Paul Pioneer Press that his ex-wife used the proceeds for an American Heart Association fund-raising drive at their 9-year-old daughter’s school.
Michelle Torgerson, leaving jail Sunday afternoon, told KMSP-TV that the shots indeed contained vaccine, but she wouldn’t say where she got it or provide other details.
“I’m a good person and I didn’t do anything wrong, and I will prove that,” she said. “More importantly, I want those students to know they’re OK. They got the flu shot.”
Chad Torgerson’s father, Jerry Torgerson, told the paper that his son told him his ex-wife got the vaccine from her employer.
College officials said a woman set up a booth Tuesday through Thursday, administering what she said were flu shots and claiming to be with the heart association. But she left when the college’s officials asked her for more information, raising concerns over whether she had actually given flu vaccine. The heart association said the woman was not affiliated with the organization.
Chad Torgerson said the shots were real flu vaccine. “Whether she took all the right and proper steps — that’s where she might have done something wrong,” he said.
Officials said none of the students or faculty who received shots has reported becoming ill, but the state Department of Health planned to test the contents of the shots.
Jerry Torgerson said his son told him his granddaughter took a $200 check to her school. It was unclear whether Michelle Torgerson was paid more than $200, and if she was, where the additional money might be.
Chad Torgerson does not have a listed phone number. Jerry Torgerson, of Belgrade, said Sunday that his son wasn’t taking calls.
Stanek declined to comment Saturday on Chad Torgerson’s account. He said Michelle Torgerson is a licensed nurse practitioner at a Twin Cities health care provider that he would not identify.
Michelle Torgerson’s attorney, Robert Hajek, declined to comment.
The United States has suffered a flu vaccine shortage since British health officials shut down a Liverpool plant operated by shot-maker Chiron Corp. in October, canceling a shipment of 48 million doses. Chiron is one of the nation’s two suppliers.