Incidentcase177

Kim Marie Lesher, a licensed practical nurse, has been sentenced to a mix of jail time, house arrest and probation for stealing patient prescription pain medications from the elderly at an area nursing home.

Lesher was given a 30-month intermediate punishment sentence. The sentence requires Lesher to spend the first four months in county jail followed by six months house arrest/electronic monitoring with the remaining 20 months to be probation. She also was ordered to undergo an assessment by the county Drug and Alcohol Executive Commission and follow any treatment plan given.

Lesher, who had been a licensed practical nurse at Rolling Fields Elder Care Community near Conneautville, pleaded guilty in August to one count of obtaining a controlled substance by fraud.

Lesher initially was charged by Pennsylvania State Police in March with four counts — two each of obtaining a controlled substance by fraud and theft by unlawful taking — for stealing prescription pain medications written for an 86-year-old woman and an 80-year-old man, both residents at Rolling Fields.

The other three counts were dropped as part of a plea agreement with the county District Attorney’s office.

Police said Lesher stole prescription pain medications between Feb. 21 and March 22. Lesher signed out medication for the patients, fraudulently documented distributing the medical and then took the pills herself.

John Kulzer, a Crawford County assistant district attorney, told the judge that the 80-year-old man told investigators he didn’t get his pain medication at times because of Lesher’s actions.

Rolling Fields’ director of nursing noticed discrepancies and an investigation took place. Patient records didn’t match up with what was supposedly dispensed for patients, but Lesher’s signature, signing out for the drugs, appeared on the records, Kulzer said.

Lesher was fired by Rolling Fields after a thorough investigation.

According to online records of the Pennsylvania Board of Nursing, Lesher’s LPN license was surrendered voluntarily under a consent order signed Oct. 25.