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A South Florida intensive care unit nurse was arrested after she allegedly stole drugs including fentanyl from the hospital where she worked, authorities said.
Leah Ann Parra, 40, was arrested in Palm Beach County Tuesday on charges including grand theft of a controlled substance, selling or possessing a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia, jail records showed.
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WATCH HEREAccording to an arrest report, Parra was an ICU nurse at JFK Medical Center in Atlantis.
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The investigation into Parra began in August of last year after the mother of a patient said Parra had entered a room claiming she was checking the levels of a medication but was seen drawing out medication and using another syringe to administer an unknown clear liquid into a vial, the report said.
The mother reported it to another nurse who inspected the patient's fentanyl vial and saw puncture holes, indicating the medication had been tampered with, the report said.
Parra was confronted but initially denied taking the medication, but hospital officials asked to search her bag and found vials of lorazepam and Benadryl, along with syringes, the report said.
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"Parra admitted to the theft and possession of the medication, stating she would like to seek help for her addiction and self-report to the Board of Nursing," the report said.
The hospital's pharmacy director inspected the patient's medication and found the amounts didn't match the levels they should have been set at, the report said.
Parra provided blood and urine samples before she was escorted out of the hospital and suspended pending the outcome of the investigation, the report said.
Parra, of Palm Beach Gardens, was booked into jail, and her bond was set at $11,000, records showed.
