A Cordova, Tennessee woman has been sentenced to a year and a day in federal prison for tampering with a vial of Benadryl while on duty as an Emergency Medical Technician. According to information presented in court, Cleola Hogan, 40, was working her shift as an EMT on March 20, 2022, when she removed Benadryl from a vial using a syringe and injected the Benadryl into her arm. Hogan then replaced the missing Benadryl with saline solution and glued the cap back onto the Benadryl vial. Benadryl is commonly used to treat patients with severe allergic reactions, and replacing Benadryl with saline would place patients who needed Benadryl at risk of death or serious bodily injury. Hogan entered a guilty plea on September 3, 2024, to tampering with a consumer product with reckless disregard that another person would be placed in danger of death or bodily injury. On December 4, 2024, Chief United States District Court Judge Sheryl H. Lipman sentenced Hogan to 12 months and one day of incarceration with a three-year period of supervised release to follow. Hogan was also ordered to undergo drug and mental health treatment and counseling. There is no parole in the federal system.
