Pubdate: Fri, 15 Mar 2002 Source: Press-Republican (NY) Copyright: 2002 Plattsburgh Publishing Co. Contact: http://www.pressrepublican.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/639 NURSE CHARGED WITH DRUG THEFT PLATTSBURGH -- A former registered nurse, who was hired at CVPH Medical Center after being dismissed from hospitals in Vermont and Florida for drug use, has been charged with stealing narcotic painkillers from the Plattsburgh hospital for her own use. Attorney General Eliot Spitzer said Sherry L. Jones then falsified the hospital's records to conceal the thefts. Jones also has been charged with lying on her New York state nursing-license application for failing to report that: - -- She had criminal charges pending against her in Vermont for the theft of drugs. - -- She had surrendered her license in Florida without contesting the charges of taking drugs while on duty in at least four hospitals. - -- Her license had been suspended in Vermont for stealing drugs and taking them while on duty. - -- She had been terminated from a series of hospitals in Florida and Vermont or resigned in order to avoid termination. Jones was arrested last week in Hammond, Ind., on an arrest warrant filed by the Attorney General's Medicaid Fraud Control Unit. She waived extradition and was arraigned Wednesday in Clinton County Court before Judge Patrick R. McGill on a 12-count indictment. She pleaded not guilty, and bail was set at $150,000 cash. The matter was adjourned until April 19. "The defendant's history of drug theft and use while on duty is extensive," Spitzer said in a news release. "But perhaps more troubling is the ease in which she could move from state to state and obtain work at various hospitals." Spitzer said he hopes "this prosecution sends a clear message to all health-care workers that my office will continue to aggressively ferret out such criminal activity." Jones began the process of applying for a New York nursing license in May 2001. On June 5, she applied for a nursing position at CVPH, indicating that her license application was pending. She was hired June 20. Eight days later, Jones was issued her license after stating under oath that she had no criminal charges pending against her, that no adverse action had ever been taken against her license and that she had never been terminated or resigned to avoid termination. At various times on the evening of Oct. 1 and the morning of Oct. 2, Jones allegedly stole quantities of the narcotic drug Demerol for her own personal use. To conceal the thefts, Jones falsified the hospital's records to indicate that the drugs had been administered to patients, prosecutors say. Jones, who is also known as Sherry Goodman and Sherry L. Eicke, lives at 245 North Main St., St. Albans, Vt. She worked at CVPH from June 2001 until Oct. 2, 2001, when she was placed on administrative leave. Jones is charged with eight counts of first-degree falsifying business records and one count each of first-degree offering a false instrument for filing, second-degree making an apparently sworn false statement, petit larceny and second-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance. If convicted, she faces up to four years in prison. In the news release, Spitzer thanked CVPH's administration and staff for their cooperation and assistance during the investigation and for referring the case to his office. Also participating were the Clinton County District Attorney's Office, the State Department of Education, the Vermont and Florida Boards of Nursing and the Vermont Attorney General's Office in Chittenden County. - --- MAP posted-by: Alex