Nurse Accused Of Stealing Meds From Polk County Jail

MULBERRY, FL — A 39-year-old nurse has been accused of stealing medication from the Polk County Jail. Griseida Montanez of Brandon was charged with drug-related offenses and driving under the influence after she was stopped by a deputy from the Polk County Sheriff's Office on a suspected speeding violation.

Sherrie Morgan of the Polk County Sheriff's Office said Montanez was pulled over around 8:30 p.m. Thursday in Mulberry.

"When the deputy began speaking with her, he smelled the odor of marijuana. When he looked inside, he saw two partially smoked cannabis cigarettes and a third one unsmoked," according to Morgan.

"The deputy also found a bag containing two urine specimen cups containing various pills," she said. One of the containers had 16 round white tablets, identified as Baclofen, a muscle relaxer. The other contained 16 capsules, identified as Gabapentin, an anti-seizure and nerve disorder medication.

"Montanez was asked if the pills were prescribed to her, and she said 'no,'" Morgan explained. "She stated she works as a nurse at the Polk County Jail and took the pills from the facility because they were scheduled to be destroyed. She admitted that she had no authority to remove the medication from the facility."

Montanez was charged with two counts of grand theft of a controlled substance, two counts of possession of a drug without a prescription, possession of Cannabis, possession of drug paraphernalia and driving under the influence.

"Ms. Montanez knew she was violating the law and continued to do so by stealing medication," added Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd. "Her actions are unacceptable and now instead of working in the jail, she was booked into the jail."

The sheriff's office said Montanez is employed by Corizon Health and has been working as a registered nurse at the South County Jail in Frostproof.

Corizon Health told the sheriff's office that it is unacceptable for nurses to take medication, according to Morgan. She said the acceptable practice is to return unused medication to the pharmacy for disposal.

Griseida Montanez photo courtesy Polk County Sheriff's Office