Nurse continues preliminary hearing – Altoona Mirror

Farren Herr, 30, of 510 Pottsgrove Road was originally scheduled to appear in Tyrone District Court Tuesday for her preliminary hearing on charges she stole a bottle of liquid Ativan from a patient who had died and then gave the drug to another patient who was not prescribed the medication.

According to charges filed by the state attorney general’s office, Herr, a licensed practical nurse formerly employed at Epworth Healthcare and Rehab­ilitation Center in Tyrone, took a 21.5 ml bottle of Ativan from a patient who died Oct. 26, while pretending to destroy the medication.

Later on her 3 p.m. to 11 p.m. shift, Herr allegedly gave Ativan, which is used to treat anxiety and sleeping disorders, to a patient who was not prescribed Ativan, and on Oct. 29, Herr allegedly gave melatonin she brought from home to a patient who was calling out for help, telling a coworker she had “fixed the problem.”

Investigators noted in the charges that Herr told a coworker where to find the hidden bottle of Ativan, but blamed another coworker for hiding it. When the bottle was found, it only contained 14 ml of the drug instead of the original 21.5 ml.

When questioned by a nursing supervisor, Herr allegedly said she had given the patient on Oct. 29 the melatonin and that she has given residents melatonin on more than one occasion “to help the girls have an easier night at work,” according to the charges.

Herr is charged with felony acquiring a controlled substance by misrepresentation, forgery or fraud as well as misdemeanor counts of possession of a controlled substance and unauthorized practice of medicine.

Herr remains free on an unsecured $20,000 bond.