Nurse caught stealing drugs

A registered nurse faces preliminary charges of theft and two counts of possession of a narcotic drug after he was found stealing medication from local nursing home patients.  

Bloomington Police Department detective Cody Forston investigated John Hyde, 40, of Cloverdale, after reports were made to Adult Protective Services about an employee at Richland-Bean Blossom Health Care Center who overdosed on fentanyl, a drug used for pain, that was taken from patients. Hyde was arrested Jan. 13, said BPD Sgt. Jeff Canada.

A patient at Richland-Bean Blossom Health Care Center told police that a nurse, later identified as Hyde, came into his room to check his fentanyl patch. The patches were located on the patient’s back and filled with the pain-killing drug.
Each patch contained a 72-hour dose of fentanyl.

Hyde was later taken to Bloomington Hospital where he was treated for drug overdose on fentanyl, Canada said.  

After police questioned another nurse at the health care center, the nurse said she went back and checked another patient’s patch Hyde had reportedly checked. The nurse said the patient’s patch had only been on for 12 hours and all of the fentanyl gel was gone, Canada said.  

Authorities interviewed Hyde, who told police he took the gel for personal use.

Hyde told police he removed patches from patients’ backs, took the patches to his office, poked a small hole and squeezed the gel onto aluminum foil. Hyde said he used a lighter to heat the foil until it smoked and then inhaled the smoke.

Hyde also told police he targeted patients with memory problems or patients who did not question him.

Hyde said he told other patients he would bring them a new patch, but after he squeezed out the gel he reapplied the same empty patch.  

This was not Hyde’s first time stealing and overdosing on the painkilling gel, according to police reports.

He was wanted on a warrant for possession of a controlled substance after a July 2008 investigation because of another overdose on fentanyl.

Hyde was found unconscious with blue-tinged skin in a car at Golden Living, where he was a nurse. Police found aluminum foil, gel residue and a lighter on the passenger seat of his car.

Hyde was taken to the hospital for treatment and released July 9.

He was then terminated from his job at Golden Living and entered into a drug treatment program for nurses who have a substance abuse addiction. The program is a license probationary program to help protect nursing licenses while the addict recovers.

Hyde told police he had been sober until his July 1 overdose.  

Hyde was taken to the Monroe County Jail.