Nurse stole & diluted narcotics from medical facility, sheriff says

MACOMB COUNTY, Mich. (WJBK) - A nurse is accused of stealing medical grade narcotics from the same place she worked. But once she was confronted, things got worse.

Karen Spearman, 53, took an oath to help people in need. Instead, the Macomb County Sheriff said she helped herself by stealing and diluting drugs from the facility.

The sheriff's office and Jennifer Morgan, the Director of Martha T Berry Medical Facility, say the part-time nurse was hired through a temporary agency.

On Wednesday, they said they caught her stealing morphine and hiding it in containers and stashing those inside a garbage bag.

"When we're dealing with the senior population or any population that requires a healthcare professional, we trust them to do what they're supposed to do. And he trusted her to do what she was supposed to do," Morgan said.

Morgan says another nurse was beginning her shift Wednesday morning when she noticed the diluted drugs.
"Management was alerted, we detained the agency nurse so we could do drug testing," Morgan said.

She wasn't having it.

"She darted away from our staff and our vehicle and got into her vehicle and took off," Morgan said.

In her desperate attempt to get away, she hit another employee with her car. He wasn't seriously hurt and Macomb County Deputies arrested her a short time later.

Spearman is charged with four counts including larceny in a building and adulterating drugs. She's out on bond and due back in court on January 26. She could get four years in prison if convicted.