(MITCHELL) – Former Mitchell Community Schools nurse Carol Sanders pleaded guilty Tuesday to theft and neglect of a dependent charges as part of a negotiated plea agreement.
Carol Sanders was arrested on March 12th on felony charges of official misconduct and neglect of a dependent and five misdemeanor counts of neglect of a dependent.
Sanders pleaded guilty to five theft charges and one count of neglect of a dependent. The official misconduct charge was dismissed.
She will be sentenced on November 14 at 9 am.
The Indiana State Nursing Board voted on Sept. 19 to extend the suspension of Sanders’ nursing license for at least another 90 days, stating the board may take additional action once the criminal case is concluded.
The Crime
On Friday, March 8, Mitchell Police Department Resource Officer Rob German began an investigation in reference to a complaint of medication belonging to students that had gone missing.
On Tuesday, March 12, Officer German completed his investigation and forwarded his report to the Lawrence County Prosecutor. The following day the prosecutor’s office filed charges against Sanders. She was arrested on March 12th.
According to a probable cause affidavit, between February 25th and March 7th, Sanders endangered children’s health and lives by substituting the child’s prescription medication for non-prescription medication.
Police began their investigation after Sanders asked two secretaries at Burris Elementary to do a pill count after a report of missing medication. They determined the count was off. That is when Sanders admitted to knowing the count would be off and admitted to ingesting five pills (Amphetamines), from two Burris Elementary students, and seven pills from two students at Hatfield Elementary including 20 grams of “Methyphenidate” (Ritalin) and a 10 mg. tablet of Methyphenidate and 5 mg of “Dexmethylphenidate” (Focalin).
Sanders admitted to replacing one of the Hatfield Elementary student’s medication with 81 mg. of baby aspirin.
Sanders provided a written statement and admitted in that confession of stealing 12 pills. She immediately tendered her resignation with the Mitchell Community School system.
Sanders told police she stole the medication because she is an addict.
