A traveling nurse, who replaced vials of fentanyl with saline while working in Roanoke in 2017, will serve 42 months in federal prison. Joseph Edward Howard, 34, of Ashland, Ky., pleaded guilty to one count of tampering … with reckless disregard for the risk that another person will be placed in danger of death or [...]
Former Belmont County Doctor Rodney Curtis, who was convicted of drug trafficking, will spend 6 months in jail and 6 months at the Eastern Ohio Correction Center. Curtis has been out on bond during an appeal process, but now he's in jail. Following a multiple day jury trial last year, Curtis was convicted of five [...]
A nurse at the Pine Ridge hospital will spend a year on probation after admitting to stealing morphine and fentanyl from the facility. The Rapid City Journal reports that Robert Wetenkamp was recently sentenced after pleading guilty earlier to acquiring drugs by fraud. As part of his plea deal, prosecutors dropped charges of health care [...]
A Santa Ana-based psychiatrist pleaded guilty Monday to participating in a scheme to disseminate prescriptions for opioids and other drugs for non-medical reasons. Dr. Robert Tinoco Perez of Westminster, 56, signed a plea agreement with federal prosecutors Jan. 28. He pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute controlled substances Monday afternoon in a [...]
There is a new face in the opioid crisis. The nurses who take care of you or your loved ones may be hiding an addiction. A nurse in recovery spoke to FOX13. She asked that we not use her real name but only call her ‘Sophie.’ For Sophie, the profession of nursing “felt like it [...]
Nine Southern California medical professionals were arrested in addition to suspected drug traffickers, during a DEA crackdown on illegal opioid prescriptions on Thursday, February 21. Officials seized upward of $3 million in cash, as well as counterfeit drugs containing fentanyl. U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration agents raided medical offices as a part of “Operation Hypocritical Oath.” [...]
A nurse who authorities said stole medication from residents of a Dubuque nursing care facility recently accepted a plea deal. Jenny L. Tjaden, 38, of Bellevue, Iowa, pleaded guilty in Iowa District Court for Dubuque County to tampering with records and unlawfully obtaining prescription drugs. She also pleaded guilty in a separate case to operating [...]
Our view: State needs better monitoring of missing pills Every year, some 20 million pills — mostly opioids — go missing from the nation’s hospitals. Where those pills end up is anyone’s guess. Also unknown to the general public is which hospitals “lose” the most pills, what pills are most often “diverted” (a euphemism for [...]
A former Kalamazoo woman was sentenced to over six years in federal prison for stealing Valium from her special needs patients Wednesday, Feb. 20. Kristie Ann Mollohan, 42, currently lives in Cosby, Tenn., but was living and working in West Michigan in August 2016. At the time, she was working as a licensed practical nurse [...]
A former paramedic for CHI St. Joseph in Bryan was arrested this week after authorities say he stole drugs from the hospital’s ambulances several times. According to Bryan police, hospital staff became suspicious of several thefts that occurred around Valentine’s Day. At least two ambulances had been burglarized, with drugs — including ketamine, morphine, fentanyl [...]