Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, August 30, 1995 TAG: 9508300049
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-3 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: SHANNON D. HARRINGTON STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Paul Norris, who worked as special procedures supervisor at the hospital, had been charged with one count of grand larceny for actually taking the drugs from the hospital and six counts of obtaining drugs by fraud or deceit.
But under a plea agreement, Commonwealth Attorney Fred King dropped five of the charges of obtaining drugs by fraud or deceit.
Judge G.O. Clemens will withhold a ruling until a pre-sentence investigation is completed.
Clemens did say, however, that the evidence presented in court was sufficient to convict Norris of the two remaining charges.
Clemens is scheduled to make his ruling in October.
Norris forged doctors' signatures and falsified drug requisitions to obtain two narcotics used as painkillers, Demerol and Fentanyl, King said, reading from an investigation report. About $7,300 worth of drugs was missing from the hospital, according to the report.
Norris later confessed that he was addicted to the drugs.
He was caught when a nursing supervisor at Lewis-Gale noticed a discrepancy in records. Surveillance cameras also showed Norris entering the building carrying a briefcase and a gym bag at hours he would not normally be working, King said.
The prosecutor quoted from a telephone conversation Norris had with a Lewis-Gale nursing supervisor: ``For a while, this had a hold on me,'' Norris told her. ``I'm sorry I let you down.''
King said as far as he knows Norris left his job as soon as the offenses were discovered.
Norris' attorney, Jeff Rudd, said he will ask that the charges be dropped to misdemeanors.
He said Norris has no prior criminal offenses.
``He's taking steps to turn his life around,'' Rudd said.
Rudd said he has represented a number of health care employees with similar addictions.
``The stress of working in a hospital environment causes them to begin using narcotics without a prescription,'' he said.
by CNB