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A former nurse pleaded guilty Monday to stealing fentanyl from a Lincoln hospital.
Krista Lierz, 36, initially pleaded not guilty but changed her plea this week, according to court records.
A Lancaster County district judge found Lierz, a former nurse at CHI Health St. Elizabeth, guilty of a felony drug charge.
CHI Health launched an investigation in June 2022 after Lierz tried to acquire a 25-microgram fentanyl injection, an arrest affidavit says.
The audit found that Lierz had checked out fentanyl 109 times that May, with nine discrepancies. In June, Lierz made 141 checkouts with 46 discrepancies, court records say.
Discrepancies could include fentanyl being signed out for patients without a doctor’s order, wasted without accounting, or given to a patient within five minutes of being checked out.
She later submitted a urine test, which tested positive for fentanyl, the affidavit says. Lierz resigned from her position on July 6, 2022.
Her sentencing is scheduled for April 3.