SOUTHERN MAINE NURSE GUILTY OF DRUG, FORGERY CHARGES

January 24, 2003

JANUARY 17, 2003

CONTACT:
MARCI A. ALEXANDER, ASSISTANT ATTORNEY GENERAL
207-626-8870

Attorney General Steven Rowe announced today that Kathy L. Smith of Saco, a registered nurse, pled guilty in York County Superior Court earlier this week to one count of forgery (Class D) and two felony counts of Acquiring Drugs by Deception (Class C). Smith was sentenced to one year in jail, all but 60 days suspended, with two years of probation and a total fine of $750.

Smith was working as a registered nurse at a hospital in southern Maine when she diverted morphine sulfate, a prescription painkiller, from two patients at the hospital. Smith also stole a prescription pad from the hospital and forged a prescription for MS Contin, another prescription painkiller. She signed a physician's name and submitted it to a local pharmacy to be filled. The pharmacist became suspicious because of Smith's unusual behavior and poor signature forgery.

The hospital, the pharmacy, and the State licensing agencies cooperated to ensure that Smith was brought to justice. Detective Christine Baker of the Maine Attorney General's Office Healthcare Crimes Unit investigated the case.