Nurse accused of stealing medications meant for patients at Winfield nursing home

A nurse told police she stole medications intended for patients at a Butler County nursing home to deal with pain in her teeth, according to a criminal complaint filed in the case.

State police said Karen Lynn Hemby, 46, of Ellport, Lawrence County, signed out 18 doses of medication between May 14 and July 3 that were meant to be administered to patients of Fair Winds Manor Nursing Home in Winfield.

The medication included 10 doses of hydrocodone, seven doses of oxycodone and one dose of alprazolam, police said.

Police said there were no matching medication administration records showing the medications had been given to patients.

One patient reported July 2 that she received only one of two doses that Hemby was supposed to give her, according to the criminal complaint. The next day, the complaint said, a man reported he did not get his pain medication from Hemby, although it was recorded as signed out by her.

Police said when they interviewed Hemby on July 10, she told them she stole the three medications to deal with pain in her teeth. She told police she would sign the medications out, unlock a box where they were kept and place them in her pocket for later, the complaint said.

Hemby did not respond to a message left with a family member. She did not have an attorney listed in court records.

Hemby was not an employee of Fair Winds Manor, but there through a staffing agency, Michael Sirott, corporate compliance officer for Quality Life Services in Butler, the parent corporation for Fair Winds Manor, said Thursday.

“We prioritize the health and safety of the residents,” Sirott said. “We have controls in place to prevent this type of activity from occurring. Unfortunately, it does happen every so often. In this case, we fully intend to cooperate with the investigation being conducted by the police department.”

Hemby faces 72 charges, including 18 counts each of possession of a controlled substance; theft by deception; furnishing false or fraudulent information; and acquiring or obtaining possession of a controlled substance by misrepresentation, fraud, forgery, deception or subterfuge.

She is scheduled to turn herself in Aug. 18 so she can be arraigned on the charges, according to the office of District Judge Sue Haggerty of Saxonburg.