AUGUSTA — A woman who pleaded guilty a year ago to stealing drugs from a Winthrop rehabilitation center withdrew her plea and saw the case dismissed in court Tuesday.
Donna D. Landry, 58, of Smyrna and formerly of Wales, who had been working as a licensed practical nurse at the facility when she was accused of stealing fentanyl, had entered that plea a year ago and was placed on deferred disposition for 12 months with a number of conditions.
Landry fulfilled those conditions — which required her to undergo substance abuse evaluation and do counseling as indicated, refrain from use and possession of illegal drugs, and complete 40 hours of public service work, among other things.
She and her attorney, Allan Lobozzo, were at the Capital Judicial Center Tuesday for the dismissal.
Landry no longer is allowed to work as a nurse. The state Board of Nursing denied a license renewal to Landry in June 2017. It indicates she was first licensed in the state in September 2011.
A notice of denial outlines a number of reasons, including misuse of alcohol or drugs resulting in her performing services in a manner that endangers health of safety of patients, incompetence in nursing, engaging in unprofessional conduct, including diverting drugs, supplies or property of patients or health care providers.
At the hearing in February 2017, a prosecutor said a rescue crew had gone to Heritage Rehabilitation and Living Center in Winthrop on Sept. 2, 2016, because of a report of a worker with a medical problem and found Landry slow to answer questions. She told them she had been taking Tylenol with codeine that she had obtained in Canada.
Once rescuers administered Narcan, she became more responsive, and the next day her husband turned in a fentanyl patch found in Landry’s purse that had a patient’s name on it.
The prosecutor said Landy admitted taking fentanyl patches she had signed out for a patient.
At the earlier hearing, Lobozzo said Landry had been taking codeine and working a number of second and third shifts.
“She doesn’t remember what happened,” he told the judge. “It got signed out, and she was the last person in possession.”
Betty Adams — 621-5631
Twitter: @betadams
Send questions/comments to the editors.
