University of Wisconsin-Madison police made a recommendation Friday to charge 31-year-old UW Hospital nurse Stefanie A. Jones with stealing at least 42 drug-filled syringes and endangering patients, according to UWPD Public Information Officer Marc Lovicott.
Hospital officials contacted university police March 13 to report a nurse suspected of stealing pain-management drugs, including morphine, intended for patients. Hospital workers uncovered the suspected theft during an internal investigation shortly before reporting it to police, according to Lovicott.
“Once they realized the scope of what was going on, they reached out to us, and we got involved,” Lovicott said.
Police investigations revealed Jones had been taking morphine syringes from a secured machine using her hospital credentials and fingerprint, then was replacing them with syringes containing water or saline solution.
Hospital staff discovered the issue when a pharmacy technician noticed someone had disturbed the red, tamper-evident caps on the syringes. That discovery led to the subsequent internal and police investigations.
Jones admitted to hospital staff that she had been diverting the pain killers and taking them for herself since October 2013. She is no longer employed with UW Hospital.
The police investigation concluded Jones had diverted 42 morphine and hydromorphone syringes for herself but did not discover how many patients were affected by her actions. Police determined Jones recklessly endangered human life by replacing the drugs meant for patient care and pain management with other liquids.
Lovicott said it is “very likely” Jones stole more than 42 morphine syringes, but police have clearly identified only the aforementioned instances. According to Lovicott, Jones told investigators she only took the drugs for personal use.
“We were able to talk to individuals; we used surveillance footage; we worked closely with the hospital and their investigation,” Lovicott said. “Through interviews, she actually admitted to investigators that she had done this.”
Police officers arrested Jones Thursday. She is scheduled to be charged with felony action under a state statute that deals with such instances. Dane County District Attorney Ismael Ozanne will likely file charges based on UWPD’s recommendations next week.
Hospital staff are reviewing security procedures following the theft.
