egor
Bluelighter
- Joined
- Sep 19, 2006
- Messages
- 5,017
Link> http://www.thedenverchannel.com/news/20156969/detail.html
Scrub Tech Indicted On 42 Counts; 19 Now Infected
Grand Jury Indictment Could Put Kristen Parker Away For Life
By Tyler Lopez, 7NEWS Reporter
POSTED: 12:54 pm MDT July 23, 2009
UPDATED: 3:37 pm MDT July 23, 2009
DENVER -- The surgical technician at the center of a highly publicized health scare in three states was indicted Thursday with 42 felony counts of tampering with a consumer product and obtaining a controlled substance by deceit.
The grand jury indicted Kristen Diane Parker with 21 counts of tampering and 21 counts of obtaining an extremely powerful painkiller.
"All of the indicted conduct relates to when Parker worked for Rose Medical Center. None of the charged conduct involves the Audubon facility in Colorado Springs, although testing is only halfway complete at both places, and additional charges via superseding indictments are possible," said David Gaouette, acting U.S. Attorney.
Gaouette also said there are now 19 Hepatitis C patients at Rose connected to Parker. A spokesman at the state health department could not confirm that number.
As of last Friday, the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment only identified 11 patients at Rose who have tested positive for Hep C and who are "epidemiologically associated" to Parker.
New numbers are expected Friday but some 5,700 letters have been sent to patients at both facilities, encouraging them to receive free test screenings.
According to the federal grand jury indictment, between Oct. 22, 2008, through April 15, 2009, Parker, with "reckless disregard for the risk that another person will be placed in danger of bodily injury, and under circumstances manifesting extreme indifference to such risk, tampered and attempted to tamper with consumer products, namely the removal of fentanyl from a syringe, and replacing it with other substances."
The indictment also alleges that she knowingly and intentionally obtained, and attempted to obtain, fentanyl by deceit.
Each of the 21 counts of tampering could bring up to 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000 if convicted. Each of the 21 counts of obtaining a controlled substance could bring a four year prison term and identical $250,000 fine with a conviction.
Parker worked at two Colorado medical facilities while infected with Hepatitis C over the spring and summer, and has admitted on videotape that she switched used, potentially infected syringes for clean ones with a powerful painkiller so she could get high.
From October to April she worked at Rose Medical Center in Denver.
She was fired April 21 after testing positive for fentanyl, a commonly abused painkiller used for surgery patients.
But she was able to get another, similar job at Audubon Surgery Center in Colorado Springs on May 4.
Health officials fear Parker infected patients with the serious blood disease.
Parker had already faced three federal charges of tampering with a consumer product, creating a counterfeit controlled substance, and obtaining a controlled substance by deceit and subterfuge.
A lifetime prison term is also possible if anyone dies as a result of Parker's alleged activities and only if she is convicted.
Parker also worked at Northern Westchester Hospital in Mount Kisco, New York and Christus St. John's Hospital in Houston, Texas and officials there are also trying to determine if Parker may have exposed any of their patients to Hep C.
The Food and Drug Administration, Drug Enforcement Agency, Denver police and the Denver District Attorney’s office are all involved in the investigation.
"Diversion of pharmaceutical drugs is a concern for our communities and our country," said DEA Special Agent in Charge Jeffrey Sweetin. "The diversion of drugs in this case is all the more concerning, because medical patients were being denied the prescribed drugs they needed to control pain during surgery. The cooperation of medical professionals is critical for DEA and law enforcement to effectively do our job in these types of investigations. We applaud the cooperation Rose Medical Center has given our agents, which has allowed charges to be filed in this case."
Parker told a Denver police detective in a video taped interview June 30 that she had switched out syringes filled with fentanyl for used needles that she then re-filled with saline solution, both depriving patients of needed medicine and potentially exposing them to her condition.
"I have a couple of times. I would mainly keep it (the needle) on myself and switch it out. If I had two in my pocket I'd just grab one, not knowing if that was the clean one or not," Parker said.
Prosecutors told a federal magistrate earlier this month that Rose staffers told Parker in October 2008 that she had hepatitis C.
Parker told the police detective in the recorded interview she never went to see her personal doctor to follow up.
"I guess it kind of got pushed down the list. At that time, I didn't have insurance. I had no symptoms. It never crossed my mind I might be sick. It's not like a dismissal but kind of like, 'Well, it's not that serious,'" Parker said. "I didn't know that this was going to happen. I mean, to the extent people would get sick for the rest of their lives because of me. And I can't take it back," Parker said, sobbing.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Web site, "Fentanyl is estimated to be 80 times as potent as morphine and hundreds of times more potent than heroin. It is a drug of abuse."
This woman deserves life in prison at best...
Scrub Tech Indicted On 42 Counts; 19 Now Infected
Grand Jury Indictment Could Put Kristen Parker Away For Life
By Tyler Lopez, 7NEWS Reporter
POSTED: 12:54 pm MDT July 23, 2009
UPDATED: 3:37 pm MDT July 23, 2009
DENVER -- The surgical technician at the center of a highly publicized health scare in three states was indicted Thursday with 42 felony counts of tampering with a consumer product and obtaining a controlled substance by deceit.
The grand jury indicted Kristen Diane Parker with 21 counts of tampering and 21 counts of obtaining an extremely powerful painkiller.
"All of the indicted conduct relates to when Parker worked for Rose Medical Center. None of the charged conduct involves the Audubon facility in Colorado Springs, although testing is only halfway complete at both places, and additional charges via superseding indictments are possible," said David Gaouette, acting U.S. Attorney.
Gaouette also said there are now 19 Hepatitis C patients at Rose connected to Parker. A spokesman at the state health department could not confirm that number.
As of last Friday, the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment only identified 11 patients at Rose who have tested positive for Hep C and who are "epidemiologically associated" to Parker.
New numbers are expected Friday but some 5,700 letters have been sent to patients at both facilities, encouraging them to receive free test screenings.
According to the federal grand jury indictment, between Oct. 22, 2008, through April 15, 2009, Parker, with "reckless disregard for the risk that another person will be placed in danger of bodily injury, and under circumstances manifesting extreme indifference to such risk, tampered and attempted to tamper with consumer products, namely the removal of fentanyl from a syringe, and replacing it with other substances."
The indictment also alleges that she knowingly and intentionally obtained, and attempted to obtain, fentanyl by deceit.
Each of the 21 counts of tampering could bring up to 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000 if convicted. Each of the 21 counts of obtaining a controlled substance could bring a four year prison term and identical $250,000 fine with a conviction.
Parker worked at two Colorado medical facilities while infected with Hepatitis C over the spring and summer, and has admitted on videotape that she switched used, potentially infected syringes for clean ones with a powerful painkiller so she could get high.
From October to April she worked at Rose Medical Center in Denver.
She was fired April 21 after testing positive for fentanyl, a commonly abused painkiller used for surgery patients.
But she was able to get another, similar job at Audubon Surgery Center in Colorado Springs on May 4.
Health officials fear Parker infected patients with the serious blood disease.
Parker had already faced three federal charges of tampering with a consumer product, creating a counterfeit controlled substance, and obtaining a controlled substance by deceit and subterfuge.
A lifetime prison term is also possible if anyone dies as a result of Parker's alleged activities and only if she is convicted.
Parker also worked at Northern Westchester Hospital in Mount Kisco, New York and Christus St. John's Hospital in Houston, Texas and officials there are also trying to determine if Parker may have exposed any of their patients to Hep C.
The Food and Drug Administration, Drug Enforcement Agency, Denver police and the Denver District Attorney’s office are all involved in the investigation.
"Diversion of pharmaceutical drugs is a concern for our communities and our country," said DEA Special Agent in Charge Jeffrey Sweetin. "The diversion of drugs in this case is all the more concerning, because medical patients were being denied the prescribed drugs they needed to control pain during surgery. The cooperation of medical professionals is critical for DEA and law enforcement to effectively do our job in these types of investigations. We applaud the cooperation Rose Medical Center has given our agents, which has allowed charges to be filed in this case."
Parker told a Denver police detective in a video taped interview June 30 that she had switched out syringes filled with fentanyl for used needles that she then re-filled with saline solution, both depriving patients of needed medicine and potentially exposing them to her condition.
"I have a couple of times. I would mainly keep it (the needle) on myself and switch it out. If I had two in my pocket I'd just grab one, not knowing if that was the clean one or not," Parker said.
Prosecutors told a federal magistrate earlier this month that Rose staffers told Parker in October 2008 that she had hepatitis C.
Parker told the police detective in the recorded interview she never went to see her personal doctor to follow up.
"I guess it kind of got pushed down the list. At that time, I didn't have insurance. I had no symptoms. It never crossed my mind I might be sick. It's not like a dismissal but kind of like, 'Well, it's not that serious,'" Parker said. "I didn't know that this was going to happen. I mean, to the extent people would get sick for the rest of their lives because of me. And I can't take it back," Parker said, sobbing.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Web site, "Fentanyl is estimated to be 80 times as potent as morphine and hundreds of times more potent than heroin. It is a drug of abuse."
This woman deserves life in prison at best...
