Rocky Allen, a 28-year-old former surgical technician at Englewood, Colo.-based Swedish Medical Center, is now in federal custody after being accused of drug theft that put patients at risk for bloodborne illnesses, according to 9News.
Mr. Allen is under federal investigation after being accused of stealing a syringe of fentanyl from Swedish Medical Center. The accusation spurred the hospital to offer free blood tests for HIV, hepatitis B and C to nearly 3,000 patients, and two other hospitals that had employed Mr. Allen also offered blood tests to patients.
Mr. Allen reported to an attorney's office and was then arrested. He has been charged with tampering a consumer product and obtaining a controlled substance by deceit, according to 9News, and could face anywhere from 10 years to a lifetime in prison, depending on if patients were harmed or died as a result of his alleged drug theft.