Prosecutors said the hospital found out Alexis McNeilly was stealing medications by overriding the automatic medical dispenser system, which led to an investigation.
A former Houston Methodist nurse accused of stealing opioids from the hospital faced a judge Tuesday.
Alexis McNeilly, 25, was taken back into custody after she made bond late last week. Tuesday morning, a judge revoked her bond and gave her a new $45,000 bond citing concern about the safety of the community.
When McNeilly showed up to court with her mother, they both said they had no comment.
McNeilly is charged with three counts of diversion of a controlled substance. She was fired from her job at Houston Methodist Hospital after prosecutors said she was caught on camera for months last year stealing opioids that were meant for patients and replacing them with saline. Then, the tampered medications were put back into rotation and some of them were given to patients without them knowing.
She was also injecting herself with painkillers, including fentanyl and hydromorphone while on the job, according to court documents.
Prosecutors said the hospital found out McNeilly was stealing medications by overriding the automatic medical dispenser system, leading to an internal and eventual criminal investigation by Houston police.
“It’s a very serious case. These syringes were later provided to patients. They were provided and administered by her co-workers who had no idea they had been tampered with,” said Kelcie Davis, a prosecutor with the Harris County District Attorney’s Office. “That’s our biggest concern, at this point is the safety of the community and this person acting in a professional role and taking advantage of her duties.”
“This employee’s conduct was unacceptable and never tolerated at Houston Methodist” Houston Methodist Hospital said in a statement. “The employee was fired immediately, and law enforcement was notified. We have extensive safeguards in place to protect our patients.”
Prosecutors said McNeilly was fired from her last job nursing job after being accused of similar offenses.
“They were also able to go back to the hospital in Dallas and kind of see what was going on there, and there was a track record of this going on,” Davis said.
Court documents say that at the time, McNeilly admitted to using the stolen medications to help deal with her anxiety due to “extreme personal stress.”
It’s still unclear how McNeilly was able to work at Houston Methodist after previous allegations.
Part of her bond conditions include no drugs or alcohol and no contact with Methodist Hospital.
