A Kentucky nurse is facing 52 criminal charges after she was found leaving a nursing home intoxicated and replacing morphine with water and blue food coloring, the Lexington Herald Leader reported Sept. 4.
Abigail Hall, RN, 50, is a registered nurse at Lawrenceburg, Ky.-based Signature Healthcare at Heritage Hall Rehab and Wellness Center. On Aug. 27, Lawrenceburg police received a report of an employee leaving work intoxicated. An officer pulled Ms. Hall over and conducted a field sobriety test, according to a warrant.
Meanwhile, a nurse at the nursing home called 911 and reported the top of a morphine bottle was found in a restroom after Ms. Hall had been in there for an extended period of time. The facility discovered 30 milliliters of morphine was missing and the nurse found Ms. Hall's backpack outside the building.
The backpack was brought to the officer who was giving Ms. Hall the sobriety test. Inside, officers found seven syringes containing a blue liquid medication, used syringes, a tube of blue food coloring, three bottles of sodium chloride, four scopolamine patches and vial of cefepime. The bottles were determined to be from the nursing home, according to the report.
Ms. Hall allegedly told officers she had taken a dose of morphine "because she wanted to kill herself" and had been stealing morphine and replacing it with water and food coloring for the last nine months, the warrant said.
A Signature Healthcare spokesperson told the Herald that Ms. Hall was a staffing agency employee, adding: "The safety and well-being of our residents and stakeholders is our top priority at Signature Healthcare. We commend our dedicated staff at Heritage Hall for reacting quickly in this matter and contacting the appropriate authorities."
Ms. Hall has been charged with 21 counts of first-degree wanton endangerment for being under the influence of controlled substances while caring for 21 patients, according to the warrant. She has also been charged with:
- Three counts of knowingly abusing or neglecting an adult
- Three counts of tampering with physical evidence
- One count of knowingly posing as a licensed nurse, after it was discovered that her Kentucky license had expired, though she still held an active Ohio nursing license.
- Eight counts of theft of a legend drug
- Seven counts of first-degree possession of a controlled substance first offense
- Seven counts of theft by unlawfully taking or disposition of a controlled substance
- One count of buying or possessing drug paraphernalia
- One count of failure to signal