WELLS COUNTY, Ind. (WANE) – When questioned by a detective, the woman said that yes, she did use marijuana from time to time.
And yes, she did take prescription medications, but had not in a long time.
But the 34-year-old registered nurse at first dodged questions about whether she stole drugs or not and said she was never prescribed a medication called gabapentin – despite the fact officers found a bottle of the nerve pain pills in her home that appeared to belong to someone else.
When asked if she had a drug problem, the woman said she didn’t know.
That’s according to Wells Circuit Court documents detailing charges against Miranda Kahn, who is now accused of stealing medication from a patient at a nursing home where she worked, battering the father of her child and violating a protective order in three separate cases that span two counties.
Kahn’s legal problems began one night this past December when a Huntington County Sheriff’s deputy came to her home on a domestic battery call.
The deputy later wrote in his report that he met the father of Kahn’s 4-year-old daughter who had the girl in his arms. The girl had multi-colored dye and shaving cream on her skin and flour was strewn all over the house, court documents said.
Kahn’s boyfriend told the deputy that Kahn hit him while he held their child, bit him in his head and that the child’s skin and the condition of the home were due to her inability to parent properly, court documents said.
At first, Kahn denied hitting her boyfriend. Her boyfriend, however, pointed out a lump on the back of his head that he claimed came from her biting him and a red mark under his chin where he said Kahn battered him, according to court documents.
Kahn’s boyfriend also showed the deputy a photo on his phone of a nearly full pill bottle that was in the home but had a name other than Kahn’s on the label. He said Kahn had a problem with drugs and that she stole the pills, which were for seizures and nerve pain, while working at a Markle nursing home.
When the deputy found the bottle in the home, the label had been partially ripped off and there were fewer pills inside, court documents said.
Marijuana and drug paraphernalia was also found in the house.
The deputy arrested Kahn on two felony counts of domestic battery and three felony counts of unlawful possession of a prescription drug. She was also charged with misdemeanor possession of marijuana and drug paraphernalia.
Kahn was booked into Huntington Jail that night, but investigators also reached out to the Wells County Sheriff’s Department to follow up about possible theft from the Markle Health and Rehabilitation nursing home, where Kahn worked.
Officials at Markle Health and Rehabilitation told investigators in court documents they suspected Kahn had stolen medication while working at the facility, that one of the other nurses had tipped them off about Kahn not following proper procedures in handling medication and that she had not worked there for awhile.
The name on the label of the pill bottle found at Kahn’s home coincided with a patient that had stayed at the nursing home while Kahn had worked there, court documents said.
Officials were able to show investigators that Kahn was one of two nurses who worked the night the woman’s medications arrived at the home, according to court documents.
Kahn’s boyfriend also told investigators she would steal medication from the nursing home and hide it in her bra before going home. He claimed in court documents Kahn refused to go to rehab for drug problems and that she would try to self-medicate with prescription drugs, court documents said.
Later, investigators found text messages between Kahn and her father, according to court documents.
One message from Kahn to her father read:
“I have a way to sell some things I took from work and get some but I thought I’d try to be honest first; But k cool dad.”
Later, she messaged her father again and wrote: “I’m gonna leave (my daughter) home for just a little bit to go sell these and get some $$$”
Her father replied: “Don’t lose your job for stealing jobs!” (sic).
During an interview with detectives, Kahn began to ask about the consequences of the type of theft she’s accused of, according to court documents.
After bonding out of Huntington County Jail on the domestic battery charges, Kahn was arrested about three weeks later on a misdemeanor invasion of privacy charge for violating a protective order placed against her.
Last week, Wells County prosecutors filed a Level 5 felony count of interference with medical services when the defendant is a licensed health care provider and a Level 6 felony count of unlawful possession or use of a prescription drug as well as a misdemeanor count of theft.
After her arrest, she posted bail and is now free while her three cases wind through the legal system.
According to the Indiana Professional Licensing Agency records, Kahn has held licenses ranging from registered nurse to certified nurses aide over the years and has never faced disciplinary action.
Amidst her criminal cases, Kahn has also filed a petition in Huntington Circuit Court to hammer out a custody agreement between her and the father of her child.
She is due back in court Feb. 8.
