Nurse stole morphine pills from Iowa nursing home resident suffering in pain, feds say
A nurse caught consuming morphine pills meant for an Iowa nursing home resident has been sentenced to prison, according to federal authorities.
Kelsey Ann Baxter, 33, was sentenced on Jan. 4 in the Northern District of Iowa after pleading guilty to a related charge, authorities said in a Jan. 18 news release.
In pleading guilty, officials said Baxter admitted she was working at a nursing home in Waterloo when she was caught stealing and consuming two morphine pills in April 2021.
Before she was caught, the nursing home had previously suspected her of taking drugs “as she was noticeably slurring her speech and disoriented while on the job,” according to the release.
The defense attorney representing Baxter did not immediately respond to a request for comment from McClatchy News on Jan. 19.
The nursing home opened an investigation and learned that Baxter had actually taken 43 morphine pills over two weeks that April, according to the release.
“The elderly resident of the nursing home, who suffered pain from physical ailments, indicated that she had not received pain medication even though Baxter had documented in the elderly resident’s handwritten and electronic medical records that the resident had received the pain medication,” authorities said.
The nurse tested positive for opiates — despite not having a prescription for herself — and was fired from her job, officials said.
Authorities said Baxter admitted to lying in the patients’ medical records and narcotics logs while employed.
While her case was pending in court, Baxter “repeatedly used controlled substances while on pretrial release” — a violation of her terms, officials said. She was then confined to her home while awaiting the sentencing hearing.
Baxter was sentenced to a month in prison followed by a year of supervised release, according to court records. She also agreed to forfeit her Iowa nursing license.
This story was originally published January 19, 2023 at 12:08 PM with the headline "Nurse stole morphine pills from Iowa nursing home resident suffering in pain, feds say."