Emergency room nurse stole pain meds every shift and gave patients saline, feds say

While working in an Indiana hospital’s emergency department, a registered nurse stole pain medication meant for patients and replaced the drugs with saline, authorities said.

She tampered with anywhere from two to seven vials of medication — including fentanyl and morphine — during every one of her shifts, then used super glue to reseal the lids, according to an April 12 news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Indiana.

Officials estimate the nurse gave 30 to 40 emergency room patients the saline solution while they were in pain, according to the woman’s plea agreement. The patients had been prescribed pain medications by a doctor in the emergency department.

Now the 38-year-old Whitestown woman has been sentenced to three years in prison on one count of tampering with consumer products, records show.

Her defense attorney did not immediately respond to a request for comment from McClatchy News on April 13.

Authorities said the nurse tampered with the vials from Oct. 1, 2018, to Feb. 18, 2020.

“Emergency room patients depend on healthcare providers to give them the medicines they need,” U.S. Attorney Zachary A. Myers said in the release. “This defendant abused her position of trust to steal powerful prescription pain medications and give patients saline instead.”

This story was originally published April 13, 2023 at 3:51 PM with the headline "Emergency room nurse stole pain meds every shift and gave patients saline, feds say."