Today defendant Alex Rodriguez pled guilty to 6 charges related to the stealing and diluting of drugs at Lee Memorial Hospital when he worked there as a nurse.
Rodriguez, 29, was stealing drugs while on duty and diluting some of the medications so he could hide what he was taking. He admitted taking drugs into hospital bathrooms and diluting the vials with saline solution. Rodriguez confessed to the crimes as charged.
He plead guilty to two counts each of Knowingly Adulterate, Forge, or Simulate a Drug, Grand Theft of a Controlled Substance, and Possession of a Controlled Substance.
The charges cover a period of time between May 1 and August 11, 2016. An investigation was done by Lee Memorial Hospital as well as the Lee County Sheriff’s Office. The crimes were discovered by another employee after noticing some powerful narcotics packaging was tampered with within the medication dispensing machine.
Rodriguez was placed on 60 months of Drug Offender Probation, has to pay a $500 fine, pay all court costs, do 150 community service hours and pay a Florida Department of Law Enforcement fee of $100. He also must undergo random drug screenings and within 30 days of instruction enroll in outpatient treatment.
Rodriguez must also forfeit his nursing license and shall not accept or apply for any employment that includes the handling of any controlled substances and/or patient care. He must also abide by a curfew of 10 p.m. to 6 a.m.
Assistant State Attorney Christine Cummins handled this case.
Samantha Syoen
Communications Director
State Attorney’s Office
239-533-1125
ssyoen@sao20.org