A Louisville nurse faces a felony charge in Floyd County for allegedly coercing one of her Southern Indiana patients to set aside pain medications for her personal use, court records say.
Kathy S. Stinson, 48, is being held on a $50,000 court-cash bond on a class C felony charge of interference with medical services and a class A misdemeanor charge of exploitation of an endangered adult. Floyd Superior Court Judge Susan L. Orth entered an automatic not-guilty plea for Stinson at an initial hearing Tuesday, in accordance with standard Indiana legal process.
Stinson is accused of asking patients at her former place of employment, Landmark Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in New Albany, to hoard their personal pain medications and give them to her to use. The drug named in the charges is Lorcet, a drug that has the same painkiller — hydrocodone — as Vicodin. In July, a patient who was purportedly putting aside medications for Stinson offered a nurse’s aide a pill when she complained of back pain. That medical professional refused, and an investigation ensued that eventually also involved the Indiana Attorney General’s Medicaid Fraud Unit.
“A patient suffered needlessly because of the greed of this nurse who was in a position of power,” said Indiana Attorney General Steve Carter in a news release. “We appreciate the assistance of local law enforcement in working with the state’s investigators to arrest and file charges against this individual.”
Stinson also allegedly asked another patient to hoard the anti-anxiety medication Xanax for her, but that patient did not comply, according to a probable-cause affidavit.
Stinson, who can be released on approximately $5,000, was approved for a public defender. As of publication deadline Thursday, an attorney was not listed in court records.
The sentencing guidelines for the C felony charge calls for two to eight years incarceration and a $10,000 fine in the event of a conviction. A class A misdemeanor could carry up to a year in jail and a fine of up to $5,000.
Stinson’s next court appearance is set for Dec. 18. Her trial by jury is scheduled to be held April 7.
Floyd County
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