GA Nurse pleads guilty to stealing fentanyl from Forsyth Medical Center, surrenders license

Judge Ed Wilson of Forsyth Superior Court gave her a suspended sentence of eight months to 19 months and placed her on three years of supervised probation.

Fentanyl is a synthetic opiod used in hospitals to treat severe pain. It is so potent that accidentally touching or breathing a tiny amount can be deadly.

The investigation into Brown’s conduct started on April 20, 2017, when officers with the Elkin Police Department went to Brown’s house in the 100 block of Memorial Park Drive. Brown had called 911 because her husband was overdosing on a medication he bought online, Brown said in court.

John Keane, special agent in charge with the State Bureau of Investigation, said officers found two hospital-grade vials of fentanyl in the house. The Elkin Police Department requested assistance from the SBI, which began its investigation.

Brown was a nurse at Forsyth Medical Center, which is owned by Novant Health. Novant and the N.C. Board of Nursing both began separate investigations into Brown, Keane said in court.

Keane said he interviewed Brown, who admitted that she had stolen fentanyl from the hospital, beginning in late 2016. Brown told Keane that she initially stole the drugs to help deal with her husband’s medical issues.

But she then began taking fentanyl for personal use, Keane said.

Keane said that hospitals must have a registration number with the federal Drug Enforcement Agency to carry controlled substances such as fentanyl.

The N.C. Board of Nursing suspended Brown’s nursing license, and Forsyth Medical Center fired her. According to an order from the N.C. Board of Nursing, Forsyth Medical Center did a three-month audit of Brown’s handling of controlled substances and discovered discrepancies in how she handled fentanyl.

Brown voluntarily surrendered her nursing license for 12 months, after which she can petition for reinstatement.

SBI agents arrested Brown in December. After her arrest, Novant Health released a statement.

“Novant Health has detailed policies that demand strict adherence to all federal, state and local regulatory requirements as well as the organization’s ethical standards and policies,” the health-care network said in a written statement. “We take very seriously any allegation that the organization or any individual team member has not fully complied with or in some way violated regulatory requirements, including the mishandling of controlled substances.”

Novant Health continued: “If we discover inadequate compliance, a knowing violation of regulatory requirements, or that our standards of conduct have been violated, we work to address the violation and prevent a reoccurence.”

Dan Logan, Brown’s attorney, said Brown cooperated fully with the authorities and gave a full statement.

Brown also was charged with misdemeanor assault on a law-enforcement officer. Sgt. Joseph Johnson of the Elkin Police Department came in contact with the vials of fentanyl and was hospitalized. He has since made a full recovery.

She pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of misdemeanor assault and was placed on supervised probation for two years. She has since appealed the case to Surry Superior Court.

Wilson said he hopes that Brown gets the help she needs.

“You’re either going to spend the rest of your life in prison or you’re going to die if you don’t do something about this,” he said.