Nursing home director accused of drug trafficking

A Laurinburg nursing home director — who managed a nursing home cited for countless state violations — was arrested last year and accused of drug violations. Authorities charged the woman with two counts of felony drug trafficking in heroin/opium in March 2016. According to the Cabarrus County Sheriff’s Office, the woman will soon appear in court to face the charges.

Authorities allege that the woman was in possession of Schedule IV and Schedule II drugs. The drug charges came following a routine traffic stop. First, the woman was charged with DWI and later police received warrants to arrest her for drug trafficking.

Police believe that the woman may have been stealing pain medications from the patients at the nursing home she managed. Authorities cite instances of patients being prescribed extra medication due to their prescriptions going missing.

At this time, the Department of Labor, the State Bureau of Investigations and the Department of Health and Human Services are investigating the nursing home that employed the accused woman to determine if patients at the facility are receiving appropriate care. Hopefully, the investigation will reveal that the nursing home residents are healthy, happy and getting the medical attention and services they deserve.

It’s important to note that information pertaining to this ex-nursing home director’s arrest is only one side of the story. Every person arrested and accused of a crime in North Carolina — no matter the circumstances — will have an opportunity to defend themselves against the charges during their criminal court proceedings. No person will be viewed as guilty until — and only if — he or she is proved to be so beyond a reasonable doubt in court.

Source: laurinburgexchange.com, “Director facing drug charges,” Beth Lawrence, July 26, 2017