An Athens woman charged after police said she stole narcotics from a Sayre Borough nursing facility has been admitted into the state's Accelerated Rehabilitative Disposition program.
Senior Judge Jeffrey Smith granted a motion Feb. 20 in the Bradford County Court of Common Pleas to admit 38-year-old Beth Coleman into the ARD program, according to information filed with the court.
Under the ARD program, Coleman will be required to undergo 12 months of supervised probation and pay $2,103.36 in restitution, according to court information. Following successful completion of the program, the defendant may petition the court to dismiss the charges.
Sayre Borough police charged Coleman in Nov. 2013 with theft by unlawful taking, receiving stolen property, unlawful use of a computer, obtaining a controlled substance by fraud and deception and possession of a controlled substance, according to a criminal complaint filed by borough police in district court.
Police said Coleman removed a total of 197 prescription narcotic pills and six and a half milliliters of morphine from the Sayre Health Care Center on North Elmer Avenue over a three-month period. Coleman was employed as a registered nurse at the facility from June to September 2013, police said.
Facility administrators conducted an investigation into Coleman's activities after noticing discrepancies in a morphine log, police said. The investigation found that Coleman had accessed a computerized medication system 147 times, far more than any other nurse, and had only administered medication to residents 36 of those times, police said. Coleman denied taking any medication for herself from the facility.
Amanda Renko can be reached at (570) 888-9652; or email: arenko@thedailyreview.com.