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Rockford woman accused of stealing morphine from facility, patients

Posted at 2:31 PM, Jan 15, 2016
and last updated 2016-01-15 14:31:27-05

MACOMB COUNTY, Mich. – A Rockford woman was arrested Wednesday after allegedly stealing morphine from the medical facility where she worked and then hit another employee with her car as she tried to flee the scene.

Karen Lynn Spearman, 53, was charged with three felonies, including Larceny and Adulterating/Misbranding Drugs/Medicine.  Her charges could result in eight years in jail if convicted.

According to the Macomb County Sheriff’s Department, managers at the Martha T. Berry Medical facility noticed that Spearman had partially removed morphine from three vials on her medical cart.  She allegedly had placed the extracted morphine into another container and placed it in a garbage bag on her cart.

Managers then required that Spearman take a drug test and as she was being escorted out of the building, she ran to her vehicle. She tried to flee the scene, but she struck a curb and another employee in the parking lot.

Investigators believe that Spearman has allegedly been adding water to the morphine vials to conceal her thefts and diluting the medicine for patients.

Spearman has been released on bond.  She will be in court again on January 27.