Missouri Nurse Sentenced for Taking Leftover Fentanyl from Hospital

CAPE GIRARDEAU – U.S. District Judge Stephen N. Limbaugh Jr. on Tuesday sentenced a registered nurse who stole fentanyl from the hospital where she worked to three years of probation, 200 hours of public service work and a $5,000 fine. 

Judge Limbaugh also ordered Lindsey M. Francis, 35, to undergo drug treatment. She will be subject to random drug screenings.

Francis was formerly a nurse at Saint Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau. On Jan. 15, 2022, a colleague discovered a used syringe in a locker room in the hospital’s emergency department. A subsequent investigation revealed that a vial of fentanyl had been tampered with. Confronted by hospital staff, Francis said that since June or July of 2021, she had taken and injected leftover fentanyl due to work and personal stress, her plea agreement says. The total amount of fentanyl diverted was determined to be less than 4 grams. 

Francis pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Cape Girardeau in May to one count of unlawfully acquiring a controlled substance. 

The case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration. Assistant U.S. Attorney Timothy Willis is prosecuting the case.