The new wing of Asante Rogue Regional Medical Center in Medford, Ore., Jan. 4, 2024.
Roman Battaglia / JPR News
Medford police have arrested a suspect in a case of alleged drug theft at Asante Rogue Regional Medical Center that caused infections in dozens of patients.
After a seven-month investigation, police arrested former Asante nurse Dani Marie Schofield on Thursday. A grand jury has indicted Schofield on 44 counts of assault in the second degree.
The charges allege Schofield intentionally caused serious injury to 44 patients in her care.
“The concern by Asante leadership was that Miss Schofield had been diverting patients’ liquid narcotics and replacing it with tap water in an attempt to go undetected,” said Medford Police Chief Justin Ivens speaking at a press conference on Thursday.
The hospital contacted police in December 2023 after noticing a high number of central line-associated bloodstream infections. They suspected those infections were caused by a nurse replacing the synthetic opioid fentanyl with non-sterile water.
The estate of one potential victim who died under Schofield’s care filed a wrongful death suit against her and the hospital in February. The Medford law firm Schlesinger and deVilleneuve says they are investigating a number of wrongful deaths connected to the case.
At the press conference, police said that 16 of those 44 impacted patients died. But authorities decided against charging Schofield for those deaths.
“Investigators in this case consulted with numerous medical experts who were all unanimous that they could not conclude that any of the patient’s deaths were directly attributed to the infections,” said Jackson County Chief Deputy District Attorney Patrick Green. “And so that’s why you do not see any of those charges.”
Schofield faces a minimum sentencing of 70 months for each case of assault under Oregon’s Measure 11. Her arraignment is scheduled for June 14.