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One worker peeled a pain patch from a patient’s back

An Iowa nurse with a history of theft has been convicted of stealing painkillers from three hospital patients.

Cassandra Pierce, 32, of Ottumwa, has been sentenced to three years of probation.

In May 2016, while working at Genesis Medical Center in Davenport, Pierce allegedly stole morphine from one patient by signing out 10 times the amount of the drug ordered by a doctor and keeping the excess.

Ten days later, she allegedly signed out 200 milligrams of fentanyl for a patient, administered 25 milligrams and retained the rest.

A week after that, she allegedly took 100 milligrams of fentanyl, gave 25 milligrams to the patient and kept the rest.

Originally charged with three counts of prohibited acts and one count of tampering with records, Pierce agreed to a plea deal that resulted in her conviction on a single count of prohibited acts. She was granted a deferred judgment that will result in the conviction being expunged from her record if she successfully completes her probation.

In 2014 and 2015, Pierce worked at two other hospitals and a care facility where, according to the Iowa Board of Nursing, she allegedly misappropriated patient medications.

In March 2016, she agreed to have her license placed on probation for one year.

Pierce worked for Genesis from November 2015 to June 2016. Nine days after she was hired by the hospital, and six months before the alleged thefts that occurred there, Pierce was criminally charged with theft and prohibited acts stemming from her conduct as a nurse at the Vista Woods nursing home in Ottumwa.

In that case, prosecutors say that in August 2015, Pierce stole a vial of morphine from an emergency kit at Vista Woods.

She initially was charged with theft and prohibited acts but later agreed to a plea deal that resulted in a conviction on a charge of possession of a controlled substance, resulting in a sentence of two years’ unsupervised probation.

In June 2016, Pierce’s employment at Genesis ended and her license was placed on probation. In May 2017, Pierce surrendered her nursing license.

Other Iowans recently convicted of illegally obtaining narcotics include:

  • Janet Zeisneiss, 62, of Marshalltown, who was sentenced to two to five years of probation earlier this month. The Medicaid Fraud Control Unit determined that in August 2017, while working as a nurse at the Hawkeye Care Center in Marshalltown, Zeisneiss signed out Oxycodone and Hydrocodone pills as if she was administering them to four residents of the home but then kept the drugs for herself. Initially charged with four counts of prohibited acts and one count of tampering with records, Zeisneiss pleaded guilty to a single count of prohibited acts. Her sentence includes a deferred judgment that will result in the conviction being expunged from her record if she successfully completes her probation. Her Iowa nursing license is in good standing, with no past or pending disciplinary actions.
  • Heather Strawn, 41, of Prairie City, who was sentenced to probation after being charged with identify theft in four separate cases out of Polk, Appanoose and Jasper counties. The Medicaid Fraud Control Unit and Iowa Board of Physician Assistants say that Strawn, while working as a licensed physician’s assistant, used the identity of a doctor for whom she had worked to write prescriptions for her dog and her boyfriend. According to the board, Strawn surrendered her license last year after being accused of incompetence because of a mental condition.
  • Denise Wagner, 51, of Kanawha, who was sentenced earlier this month to 14 days in jail and two years of probation after pleading guilty to one charge of dependent-adult abuse. Iowa’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit alleged that in June 2017, while working as a cook at the Kanawha Community Home in Hancock County, Wagner went out to the dining room of the facility and sat down next to a resident who was eating ice cream. Wagner acted as if she was rubbing the resident’s back and shoulders, but was peeling a pain-killing fentanyl patch from the resident’s back. She later told investigators she did this to treat her own back pain.