Nursing home employees found with patients’ drugs while sleeping at work, NC cops say

A North Carolina assisted living facility was closed after two employees were found sleeping in a vacant resident room with several patients’ prescription narcotics, according to authorities.

Sheriff’s deputies responded to the Southern Living for Seniors facility in Burnsville, about 130 miles northwest of Charlotte, on April 17, after a resident called authorities, according to a May 10 statement from the Yancey County Sheriff’s Office. The resident had requested help lifting his roommate who had fallen and could not find any employees to assist for 45 minutes.

When the deputies arrived, they searched the facility and found two employees asleep in a vacant resident’s room, according to the statement. The employees had several of the residents’ prescription narcotics, deputies said.

The employees were charged with multiple counts, including larceny by employee, simple possession of a schedule II controlled substance, simple possession of a schedule IV controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia, according to the statement.

The state Department of Health and Human Services and county Department of Social Services launched investigations into the facility, which was eventually shut down, according to the sheriff’s office. The agencies relocated residents to other assisted living facilities in the area.

This story was originally published May 11, 2022 at 3:23 PM with the headline "Nursing home employees found with patients’ drugs while sleeping at work, NC cops say."