A former registered nurse who was captured on video breaking into a safe containing controlled substances at HealthCare Express in Texarkana, Texas, was sentenced to 24 months in federal prison Thursday for tampering with a consumer product.
Clifford Russell Harris, 38, pleaded guilty to the charge in June. He appeared with Texarkana attorney Michael Friedman for sentencing before U.S. District Judge Robert Schroeder III in the Texarkana Division of the Eastern District of Texas.
Harris first broke the lock on the safe and then removed the drug fentanyl, which is an opioid narcotic used in medical settings, from a vial and then filled the empty vial with some other substance to conceal his actions Dec. 29, 2018. According to a felony information, Harris used a syringe to remove the narcotic.
According to the Texas Nursing Board website, Harris lost his licenses as a registered nurse and as a licensed vocational nurse as a result.
Harris will be on supervised release for three years after serving his prison sentence. If he violates his release or commits a new crime he could be sent back to federal prison.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan Hornok represented the government.
