ICU Nurse Arrested for Allegedly Stealing Fentanyl From Critically Ill Patient's IV and Going Back for More

A Florida intensive care unit nurse has been arrested after allegedly stealing fentanyl from a critically ill patient's intravenous infusion and returning to the room the following evening to access the equipment again.

Leslie Ann Pope, 54, was arrested on 8 October following an investigation into incidents at Cleveland Clinic Tradition Hospital in Port St Lucie, Florida.

Police said the first incident occurred on 24 June, when a family member allegedly saw Pope use a syringe to withdraw fluid from the patient's fentanyl infusion. She then reportedly placed the syringe in her pocket and left the room.

The following evening, Pope allegedly returned and approached the IV equipment. A family member intervened, although investigators could not establish whether additional medication was taken.

Detectives also reviewed footage that reportedly showed Pope manipulating protective caps on the equipment. Police said Pope was not assigned to care for the patient, raising questions about why she had accessed the infusion.

Hospital Investigation Leads to Arrest

Pope reportedly told police that an alarm she described as an 'upstream occlusion' required her to intervene with the IV equipment.

However, the patient's significant other, who had experience working in a medical environment, disputed her explanation and alerted hospital management.

'But again, she's not even assigned to that patient, so there was no initial justification for her to even be in that room at that time addressing that patient,' Brittany McNally, a public information officer with the Port St Lucie Police Department, said.

'The family member actually was well versed in the medical field and had a history of working in that environment, which caused her to raise questions and caused her to notify the chain of command at the hospital.'

The hospital launched an internal investigation and contacted the Florida Department of Health, which notified police. Detectives began investigating in August.

Pope was arrested on 8 October with assistance from the Palm Beach Marshals Task Force. She faces several felony charges, including grand theft of a controlled substance, possession of a controlled substance without a prescription and fraudulently obtaining a controlled substance.

Pope has denied the allegations. Investigators have not established what she allegedly intended to do with the medication.

'We don't want to speculate what she could be using it for, whether it's personal or, you know, selling it,' McNally said. 'We don't have that information at this point.'

Hospital Confirms Nurse No Longer Works There

Pope had worked at Cleveland Clinic Tradition Hospital for approximately six months, according to police.

The hospital confirmed that she no longer worked at the facility but declined to explain when or why her employment ended.

'We take these allegations very seriously. The individual no longer works with us, and we are fully cooperating with law enforcement,' Cleveland Clinic said in a statement.

'Because this is an active investigation, we are unable to comment further at this time.'

Fentanyl is a powerful synthetic opioid used medically to manage severe pain. Although it has legitimate clinical applications, unauthorised access to the drug can pose significant safety risks, particularly when medication is intended for a critically ill patient.

The allegations against Pope have not been proven in court. Investigators have yet to determine whether medication was taken during the second incident or what happened to the substance allegedly withdrawn from the patient's infusion.