This post was originally published on this site
Jennifer L. Sutliff, 36, of 17778 Bertschy Road, pleaded guilty Thursday in Crawford County Court of Common Pleas to obtaining a controlled substance by misrepresentation, fraud or forgery and theft by unlawful taking filed by the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General.
Sutliff was charged in March with a total of three counts of obtaining a controlled substance by misrepresentation, fraud or forgery; and one count each of possession of a controlled substance and theft by unlawful taking.
In a plea agreement with the county District Attorney’s Office, Sutliff pleaded guilty to one count of obtaining a controlled substance by misrepresentation, fraud or forgery and the theft count with the remaining charges dropped. She faces up to 15 years in prison on the obtaining a controlled substance charge, a ungraded felony, and up to two years on the theft charge, a second-degree misdemeanor.
Sutliff admitted to taking patients’ prescription pain medication at various times during 2016 from Rolling Fields Inc. in the Conneautville area, a nursing home where Sutliff had worked as a licensed practical nurse. Sutliff fraudulently documented the medication use for patients and then used the medication for herself, according to court documents.
Nursing department administrators at Rolling Fields began an internal investigation in December 2016 after Dr. Craig Godfrey, the home’s medical director, noticed “a significant increase in the narcotic prescriptions in the month of November 2016,” according to the arrest affidavit filed in the case.
A review of the patient’s records found the narcotic sign out sheet and the patient’s medication administration records didn’t match, the affidavit said. Nurses are required to sign out medication prior to administrating it to a patient and also document the administration of the medication in the patient’s record, the affidavit said.
The investigation found 91 Oxycodone pills of 10 milligrams each signed out for the patient couldn’t be accounted for between Nov. 1 and Nov. 30, 2016, the affidavit said.
In subsequent interviews of nursing staff, Sutliff admitted to nursing administrators in early December 2016 that she had taken prescription pain pills and kept them for herself, the affidavit said. Rolling Fields then placed Sutliff on leave to attend a treatment program, but Sutliff quit the treatment program after 10 days and then was removed from employment for failing to complete treatment, the affidavit said.
In February, a review of records found additional pain medication discrepancies at Rolling Fields involving a total of 16 patients and more than 600 pills unaccounted for, the affidavit said. The missing medication had been signed out by Sutliff and “were not located or documented as administered to her patients,” according to the affidavit.
In an interview with agents of the state attorney general in March, Sutliff admitted to an addiction problem, struggling with it for the past several years, the affidavit said.
“Sutliff stated she didn’t use them while at work; she saved them, took them home and used them,” the affidavit said.
Sutliff told investigators she went from taking one pill a night, to eight or nine a day,” the affidavit said.
Sutliff remains free on $25,000 unsecured bond pending sentencing Oct. 31.