State v. Jane Doe (2020)

Defense Counsel:

Charges: Possession of Controlled Substance; Distribution of Controlled Substance

State’s Case:

The state alleged that the defendant unlawfully kept and distributed medications that she obtained as nurse working on a post-surgical floor instead of using the medications for patients. She was caught when the pharmacy alerted the medical staff that the nurse had a higher than normal medication withdrawal rate than other nurses and her patient records did not reflect that the medication pulled had been given to the patients.

Judgement:

The defense team proved that the defendant in fact did not unlawfully obtain the medications; that she had a higher patient volume than other nurses because she was an excellent nurse; and that some of the charting discrepancies were unrelated to unlawful conduct. The nurse did, however, use the left over medication to self-medicate and did not dispose of the medication properly. She was able to enter into a treatment program and prove that she did not need state or court intervention. After a year, the state elected to expunge her arrest record.