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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 while intoxicated. A charge of unlawful possession of a prescription drug was dismissed.
Her sentencing hearing is set for March 7.
Court documents state that Tjaden was working as a nurse at Stonehill Franciscan Services, 3485 Windsor Ave., in October 2017 when she stole painkillers and anxiety medications from three residents of the facility.
Authorities claimed Tjaden falsified patient records to conceal her thefts.
Her OWI arrest relates to a June traffic stop in Dubuque. Documents said she unlawfully had prescription pills with her at that time.
The plea deal recommends a suspended two-year prison sentence, with two years of probation imposed. However, documents state Tjaden will request a deferred judgment, meaning that the charges will not go on her record if she successfully completes her probation.