Narcotic
possession and theft charges have been filed against a former employee
of two nursing homes. The former employee allegedly stole
prescription drugs in order to satisfy her addiction.
If convicted
on the charges, the 33-year-old female defendant faces a maximum penalty of nearly 8
years in prison and $30,000 in fines.
Administrators from the two nursing homes spoke with law enforcement earlier this year regarding the theft
of prescription drugs from their facilities.
The employee allegedly had gone into a cart that contained medications
and removed some of its contents even though none of the residents’
records showed that she had administered the drugs at that time. When
confronted, she allegedly admitted that she had taken three
Hydrocodone pills, and she planned on using them on herself to combat
back pain. She allegedly said she had been prescribed to take
Hydrocodone in the past for back pain, but she began abusing the drug
to such an extent that she went into treatment for 4 days last October.
The nursing home reported that a large amount of Hydrocodone had gone missing from the nursing home around that same time.
The other nursing home alerted authorities in May that a Oxycodone pill was
missing from their contingency supply. The next day, the employee allegedly
admitted to taking the pill and ingesting it after work. The defendant
allegedly said she had a tooth problem and had been prescribed a
narcotic pain medication; she then became addicted to the drugs and
became dependant upon friends and family to acquire more pills. For more, read the story.
________________________________________________________________
Robert
W. Carter, Jr. is a Virginia attorney whose law practice is dedicated
to protecting the rights of the victims of nursing home and assisted
living neglect and abuse in Richmond, Roanoke, Norfolk, Lynchburg,
Danville, Charlottesville, and across Virginia.
