Leslie Ann Pope, 54, was arrested on Oct. 8 on felony charges after allegedly stealing fentanyl from a critically ill patient’s IV at a Florida hospital.
The Port St. Lucie ICU nurse was taken into custody with help from the Palm Beach Marshals Task Force following an investigation that began in August, according to the Port St. Lucie Police Department. She faces charges including grand theft of a controlled substance, possession of a controlled substance without a prescription, and fraudulently obtaining a controlled substance.
The alleged theft occurred on June 24 at Cleveland Clinic Tradition Hospital, where Pope had worked for approximately six months. A patient’s family member witnessed Pope using a syringe to withdraw fluid from a fentanyl IV infusion, police said. She then pocketed the syringe and left the room.
Pope wasn’t finished. The next evening, she returned to the same patient’s room and approached the IV equipment again, but a family member stopped her, according to investigators. Detectives reviewed footage showing Pope manipulating protective caps on the IV equipment, though they could not confirm whether she successfully took additional medication during the second attempt.
The family member who intervened had medical field experience, which prompted immediate suspicion and action. “The family member actually was well versed in the medical field and had a history of working in that environment, which caused her to raise questions and caused her to notify the chain of command at the hospital,” said Brittany McNally, a public information officer with Port St. Lucie police.
Pope wasn’t even assigned to the patient she allegedly targeted. When questioned, she told police an alarm — which she described as an “upstream occlusion” — required her to intervene with the IV, McNally said. The patient’s significant other, who also had medical environment experience, disputed that explanation.
“But again, she’s not even assigned to that patient, so there was no initial justification for her to even be in that room at that time addressing that patient,” McNally told CBS 12.
The hospital launched an internal investigation and contacted the Florida Department of Health, which notified police. Detectives began their work in August and arrested Pope two months later.
Investigators have not determined what Pope allegedly intended to do with the stolen drugs. “We don’t want to speculate what she could be using it for, whether it’s personal or, you know, selling it,” McNally said. “We don’t have that information at this point.”
Pope has denied the allegations against her.
Cleveland Clinic issued a statement addressing the case: “We take these allegations very seriously. The individual no longer works with us, and we are fully cooperating with law enforcement.” The hospital added that it could not comment further due to the active investigation. The hospital did not specify when Pope’s employment ended or whether she was terminated.