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Article: Nurse anesthetist gets 6 months in hospital drug theft
- Article from:
- Roanoke Times & World News
- Article date:
- September 3, 2009
- Author:
CopyrightCopyright 2009 Roanoke Times & World News. Provided by ProQuest LLC. (Hide copyright information)
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A nurse anesthetist whose career in the New River Valley spanned
decades will serve a six-month prison sentence for taking drugs
meant for patients.
Alvin Earl Parkes, 62, had pleaded guilty in June to two counts
of possessing a controlled substance tied to his theft of fentanyl
citrate, a synthetic opiod used to treat pain. In U.S. District
Court in Roanoke on Wednesday, he was given the longest prison term
recommended by federal sentencing guidelines and fined $3,000.
An emotional Parkes apologized for what he described as an ill-
considered bid to ease the strain of long shifts and tough hospital
conditions. He said his working life had begun as a child and he
had just wanted to ...