This post was originally published on this site
KING (WAOW) – A nurse at the Wisconsin Veterans Home stole several pain medications, including oxycodone and morphine, and police suspected she “has an opiate addiction that drives those behaviors,” according to a criminal complaint.
Alicia Krisher-Behm, 41, of Ogdensburg is charged with two felonies – obtaining a controlled substance by fraud and theft – and two drug misdemeanors in incidents in January. She is free on a $10,000 signature bond, according to online Waupaca County court records.
Workers at the Veterans Home tipped off investigators about prescription drug diversions at the complex, leading to Krisher-Behm’s arrest, the complaint said.
She joined the staff in March and also worked at Manawa Community Nursing Center, the complaint said.
Among the incidents reported, one occurred on an overnight shift Jan. 19 when Krisher-Behm was working and a patient received two “additional, unscheduled maximum doses of oxycodone” in response to reported shoulder pain, the complaint said.
Nurses who checked later indicated the patient reported no pain, “had not had any considerable pain for several days” and was awake and alert, the complaint said.
Another incident involved Krisher-Behm drawing 1.2 milliliters of morphine “beyond what she reported she administered to the patient,” the complaint said.
A search of Krisher-Behm’s home Jan. 21 found evidence of two missing bottles of at least 66 15mg oxycodone pills that were supposed to be transferred with a patient from the nursing home to the Veterans Home and she had assisted with the transfer, the complaint said.
Krisher-Behm is to return to court March 20 for a preliminary hearing.
The maximum punishment for both felonies is six years in prison.