Bail Denied For Surgery Tech In Hepatitis C Scare

DENVER (AP) – A surgery technician accused of swapping out her dirty syringes for ones filled with a painkiller meant for patients has been denied bail after a judge ruled she’s a danger to the community.

Twenty-six-year-old Kristen Diane Parker faces charges of tampering with a consumer product, creating a counterfeit controlled substance, and obtaining a controlled substance by deception or subterfuge. She was in federal court Thursday.

Parker has tested positive for hepatitis C. She worked at Rose Medical Center in Denver from Oct. 21 to April 13 and at Colorado Springs Audubon Ambulatory Surgery Center from May 4 until last week.

Up to 6,000 people may have been exposed to the blood-borne liver disease. Ten hepatitis C cases have been linked to Rose hospital.

Parker is charged by Criminal Complaint with:

Count 1: Tampering with a Consumer Product and Aiding and Abetting the same, which is punishable by not more than 10 years in federal prison, and up to a $250,000 fine. If serious bodily injury occurred, the defendant faces not more than 20 years in federal prison, and up to a $250,000 fine. If death of an individual results, the defendant faces life in federal prison.

Count 2: Creating a Counterfeit Controlled Substance, which is punishable by not more than 20 years imprisonment, and up to a $250,000 fine. If death or serious bodily injury results to an individual, Parker faces not less than 20 years and up to life imprisonment.

Count 3: Obtaining a Controlled Substance by Deceit and Subterfuge, and aiding and abetting the same, is punishable by not more than 4 years in federal prison, and up to a $250,000 fine.

Parker is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jaime Pena. The investigation is being conducted by the Food and Drug Administration — Office of Criminal Investigations (FDA OCI), the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Tactical Diversion Unit, the Denver Police Department, and the Denver District Attorney’s Office.

A Criminal Complaint is a probable cause charging document. Every defendant accused of committing a federal felony crime has a Constitutional right to be indicted by a federal grand jury.

The charges are only allegations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.