A former Missoula nurse who worked at St. Patrick Hospital was sentenced to three years of probation after admitting to ordering extra opioid drugs and diverting them from the hospital.
Caitlin Ashley Evans, 37, pleaded guilty in November 2022 to obtaining controlled substances such as oxycodone, hydromorphone, hydrocodone and fentanyl through deception, fraud and subterfuge.
According to court documents, an official from St. Patrick Hospital reviewed drug distribution data and found Evans had ordered opiates such as oxycodone, hydromorphone, hydrocodone and fentanyl at more frequent rates and greater amounts than her coworkers.
The U.S. Attorney's Office, District of Montana released the following information:
A former Missoula nurse who admitted to diverting opioid drugs while working at St. Patrick Hospital was sentenced today to three years of probation, U.S. Attorney Jesse Laslovich said.
Caitlin Ashley Evans, 37, pleaded guilty in November 2022 to obtaining controlled substances by fraud, deception and subterfuge.
U.S. District Judge Donald W. Molloy presided.
In court documents, the government alleged that in October 2021, a St. Patrick Hospital official reviewed drug distribution data and discovered that Evans was ordering opiates, including oxycodone, hydromorphone, hydrocodone, and fentanyl, at much higher rates and in greater amounts than her peers. Another nurse also reported suspicious activity by Evans to her supervisor. Hospital administrators spoke with Evans, who admitted to diverting drugs from the hospital while working since the fall of 2020. Evans explained that she had been taking waste amounts of hydromorphone and morphine two to three times a week by exchanging the drugs for saline before disposing of them.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Karla E. Painter prosecuted the case, which was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration and Montana Division of Criminal Investigation.