GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WXMI) — A nurse from Sturgis has pleaded guilty to tampering with pain relievers at a Kalamazoo hospital, according to the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ).
Court documents say Alison Renee Marshall swapped liquid fentanyl with a saline substance in the summer of 2020, the DOJ explains.
We’re told an elderly cancer patient had not been getting pain relief from what was thought to be liquid fentanyl. Staff members then reportedly discovered fentanyl vials with caps glued back on with puncture holes.
FDA testing revealed the vials were extremely diluted with only as much as 3% of the intended amount of fentanyl, the DOJ says.
Officials say Marshall later admitted to taking fentanyl for personal use.
“Marshall violated that trust and exposed vulnerable patients to possible infection and unnecessary pain and suffering,” says U.S. Attorney Mark Totten. “Today’s guilty plea brings us one step closer to accountability and sends a message to other would-be offenders that we will not sit back when they violate patients’ trust.”
A sentencing hearing is scheduled to occur Sept. 21. Marshall could spend up to 10 years behind bars, according to the justice department.
