DES MOINES, Iowa — A former Iowa nurse accused of stealing medications from multiple patients has avoided prison time.
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In January, 50-year-old Holly Beavers was arrested and charged with three counts of unlawfully obtaining a prescription drug and one count of tampering with records. According to the criminal complaints, while working as a nurse at an Altoona medical facility, she was tasked with administering medication to patients. Instead, on several occasions, she allegedly stole the medications for herself and falsified documents to state that she had administered the medications. The complaints claim that the medication stolen was PRN Hydrocodone pills.
Court records show that in July, a plea agreement was reached in the case in which Beavers would enter an Alford guilty plea to just one count of unlawfully obtaining a prescription drug, a class C felony. An Alford plea allows defendants to maintain their innocence while acknowledging that the evidence against them would likely result in conviction.
A class C felony in Iowa carries a maximum of 10 years in prison. On Tuesday, a Polk County judge granted Beavers a deferred judgment and ordered her to serve two years of probation, court records state…