East Bethlehem woman accused of stealing medication from nursing facility

North Strabane Township police charged a woman last week who is accused of stealing medication while working at a nursing facility.

Ashley Lynn McCune, 39, of East Bethlehem Township, faces felony charges of endangering the welfare of a care-dependent person and insurance fraud, as well as misdemeanors of forgery, theft and possession of a controlled substance.

According to the criminal complaint, South Hills Rehabilitation and Wellness, located at 201 Village Drive, reported suspicions that McCune had stolen Oxycodone to police on Feb. 15.

McCune had been working at the facility as a temporary nurse since Dec. 6.

Court records state that on Feb. 13 a coworker told McCune to not order Oxycodone for a particular patient due an issue with the prescription. However, McCune is accused of ordering 60 pills for the patient and accepting the delivery from a courier.

According to the complaint, the Oxycodone was never logged and the pills were unaccounted for, but the order was billed to the patient's insurance. McCune is also accused of altering the patient's paperwork so it would appear they were taking the medication.

Police wrote in the complaint that the nursing facility's own internal investigation turned up "scores and scores of forged records" that showed Oxycodone as being consumed by patients or disposed of.

"These records include at least 15 other nurses having their signatures forged time and time again. The forgeries surround McCune's signature and times she was at the facility. Some of these forgeries were on dates and times that these other nurses were not in the facility," reads the complaint.

Management at South Hills Rehab believe more than 700 pills had been stolen since McCune began the job, court paperwork indicates.

McCune was arraigned last week before District Judge James Saieva, who released her on $35,000 unsecured bond. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for 10:45 a.m. April 2.