Nurse accused of stealing drugs

A Delray Beach man who works as a nurse is accused of stealing 43 vials of Fentanyl and other drugs from West Boca Medical Center.

When Stacey Loy Lawhorn, 50, was arrested at his home Wednesday, deputies found vials of prescription medications inside a shoe box in his bedroom, according to a Palm Beach Sheriff’s arrest report.

“In this case, a discrepancy was identified and the matter was reviewed. This individual is no longer employed by [the hospital],” according to a statement from the hospital.

Fentanyl, a synthetic cousin to heroin, is a powerful drug that has been linked to numerous overdose deaths across South Florida and across the country.

It wasn’t hard for investigators to link Lawhorn to the thefts because he used his fingerprint or logged in with a password to an auto-

mated dispensing cabinet at the hospital where the drugs were locked up, the report said.

A pharmacy manager discovered the missing drugs during a Jan. 6 audit. After checking records for the machine, he found that Lawhorn had taken numerous vials at random from November to January, the arrest report said. The audit showed that Lawhorn reported taking Fentanyl from the dispenser for patients with swollen lips, cold symptoms and other procedures that would never need Fentanyl, a hospital official told investigators.

Lawhorn wasn’t even at 20 of the 37 procedures performed at the hospital from November to January but he charged patients for the Fentanyl anyway, the arrest report indicated.

A Jan. 6 urine test ordered by the hospital showed Lawhorn tested positive for Fentanyl, according to the report.

Hospital officials said the medical center has “extensive pharmacy control measures, including continuous monitoring, inventory audits and periodic pharmacy reviews.”

Lawson faces drug possession, fraud and grand theft charges. He was released from Palm Beach County Jail after posting $23,000 bond.