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Alex Rodriguez, a former Lee Memorial Hospital ER nurse, faces 132 charges related to drugs, forgery and fraud after an investigation prompted by the hospital.FORT MYERS, Fla. — A former Lee Memorial Hospital nurse accused of stealing drugs for personal use pleaded guilty to six charges Tuesday, court officials said.
Fort Myers resident Alex Rodriguez, 29, of 3787-324 Winkler Ave., admitted to stealing drugs while on duty and diluting some of them to hide what he was taking, according to the court. He was placed on 60 months probation, fined $500 and sentenced to 150 hours of community service.
He also must pay all court costs, including a Florida Department of Law Enforcement fee of $100, undergo random drug tests, enroll in an outpatient drug treatment program, give up his nursing license and comply with a nightly curfew. He’s barred from taking any job that entails handling drugs or patient care.
Rodriguez originally faced 132 charges. It’s not immediately clear if the bulk of them were consolidated, dropped, or are still pending.
The hospital fired Rodriguez following an investigation that showed he exploited Pyxis, a system hospitals use to manage medicine supplies, to gain access to the drugs between May and August this year. The Lee County Sheriff’s Office also investigated before taking him into custody in September.