Marietta Strickland, 61, a Dighton registered nurse, was charged by information with one count of tampering with a consumer product, specifically the Schedule II controlled substance oxycodone, which is used for pain relief. According to court documents, while working as a registered nurse at Dighton Care and Rehabilitation Center, Strickland tampered with three blister card packages of oxycodone prescribed to an 89-year-old hospice patient who suffered from Alzheimer’s disease, severe dementia and breast cancer. To avoid detection, Strickland replaced the stolen oxycodone pills with other prescription drugs disguised to look like oxycodone. As a result of Strickland’s tampering, the victim was deprived of her prescribed oxycodone for more than two months and ingested at least 77 unnecessary prescription tablets.
