A nursing home employee diluted morphine with mouthwash after she stole most of the drug, injuring the resident who received the tainted leftovers, police said.
It was just the beginning of a Christmas-season rash of drug thefts from residents and her employer, charging documents allege.
The woman, a one-time nurse at Good Neighbor Society in Manchester, IA, was indicted in U.S. District Court in Cedar Rapids on 13 counts of acquiring a controlled substance by deception and tampering with consumer products, according to “The Courier” newspaper.
Katie Louise Boll, 31, now faces up to 62 years in prison, a $3.5 million fine and 42 years of supervised release, television station KCRG reported.
Court records show that during a one-week stretch starting last Dec. 24, Boll took part of a resident’s oral morphine sulfate solution and diluted it with mouthwash. On Dec. 29, 2018, in her role as a nurse, she allegedly swapped codeine, hydrocodone oxycodone, morphine and tramadol intended for at least 10 residents with over-the-counter medicine.
Prosecutors alleged in the indictment that at least 13 patients were affected, local media reported.
Good Neighbor Society CEO Matthew Carpenter told McKnight’s via email Thursday that Boll no longer works for the community. She is out on bail after an initial court appearance Tuesday.
