DANVILLE -- A former Geisinger Medical Center registered nurse allegedly stole narcotics 30 times by changing patients' prescriptions and keeping the excess.

Mahoning Township police and the state attorney general's office charged Traci Nicole Lapaglia, 27, of Bloomsburg, with stealing the drugs from the hospital last year. Police said Lapaglia would often steal up to four times a dosage as required by a patient, give the patients what was prescribed and remove the rest.

Lapaglia, who worked at Geisinger from April 20 through Sept. 12 of 2008, was charged with illegally possessing drugs eight times between May 14 and Sept. 18, 2008; illegally possessing controlled substances 22 times between May 14 and June 21, 2008; and failure to keep or furnish records for dispensing those drugs a total of 30 times.

The drugs included Fentanyl, Percocet, Roxicet, Morphine and Hydromorphone, accounting for 18 of the 22 illegal medications.

The investigation began when attorney general's office agent Duane Musser received information from Lewisburg Police Officer Shawn Burns that he confiscated Hydromorphone injections from the home of Sonia Hawkins. Hawkins said she got it from Marsha Garvey, a licensed practical nurse who told police she obtained it from Lapaglia, who worked in Geisinger's Special Care Unit.

Lapaglia is free on $25,000 unsecured bail.

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