Catherine Shannon Dunton, 54, a former Martin County, Florida nurse has been officially indicted by a federal grand jury for tampering with vials of fentanyl.
According to the indictment, Dunton swapped vials of liquid fentanyl with saline at an outpatient surgery center from February 28th to April 18th. The swapped vials were used during surgeries. The name of the outpatient surgery center was not released.
>> Read about this case on the Florida Attorney General’s website
“Dunton removed liquid fentanyl from vials, refilled them with saline, and returned the adulterated vials to their location for use during surgeries,” the DOJ said.
If convicted Dunton could face up to 10 years in prison. There is the possibility of supervised release of up to 3 years.
Juan Antonio Gonzalez, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, and Justin Fielder, Special Agent in Charge, Food and Drug Administration, Office of Criminal Investigations (FDA-OCI) Miami Field Office, announced the charges.
FDA Office of Criminal Investigations, Miami Field Office investigated this matter, with assistance from United States Postal Inspection Service, Miami Field Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Diana M. Acosta is prosecuting the case.
According to the Florida Department of Health website, Catherine Dunton was initially licensed as a registered nurse in Florida on July 7, 1993. As of August 23, 2022, according to the website, “the license of Catherine Shannon Dunton, R.N., to practice as a registered nurse, license number RN 2749972, is immediately restricted to prohibit Ms. Dunton from practicing nursing until IPN or an IPN-approved evaluator notifies the Department that she is safe to resume the practice of nursing.”
