BERWICK, Maine — A licensed practical nurse faces two charges, one a felony, stemming from a May incident at the Edgewood Centre nursing home in Portsmouth, N.H..
According to a press release issued by Attorney General Michael Delaney, Nina Perez, 31, of Berwick, Maine, is facing a Class B felony charge of possession of a controlled drug in addition to a Class A misdemeanor charge for abuse of a facility patient.
These charges stem from a May 19 incident in which Perez, while working as a licensed practical nurse at the Edgewood Centre, allegedly took a quantity of morphine that was prescribed for a patient. The press release states Perez is accused of having retained the morphine for her own personal use and administered the prescription drug flexeril, a muscle relaxant, to the patient as a substitute for the morphine.
This matter was referred to the Office of the Attorney General from the Office of the Long-Term Care Ombudsman. The Medicaid Fraud Unit, which investigates and prosecutes allegations of residence abuse at health care facilities, investigated Perez’s alleged crimes.
Perez is scheduled for arraignment Sept. 17 at the 10th Circuit, District Division. Portsmouth.
© 2012 the Foster’s Daily Democrat
Distributed by MCT Information Services
You can bet it wasn’t the first time.
These Narcotics are ruining our society………sad when people who REALLY need them fall victim.
This probably happens more often then people realize. It is good that she was caught. She will most likely lose the LPN credential and so she has thrown away her career.
This career that is. She will need to cross train.
Politics are calling
How anyone could be so callous as to steal pain medication. The lowest of the low.
Flexeril in place of morphine is like giving the poor patient an aspirin when he needs percocet. Cruel…
???