HEALTHCARE WORKER PLEADS GUILTY; TOOK PAIN KILLERS

A health care worker who lived in Livingston last year has pleaded guilty
in Federal Court to "tampering with consumer products" when he worked at
the VA Medical Center in Nashville. James Nathan Stoltz, 42, was taking
narcotic pain killers meant for his patients, prosecutors said.

He was indicted in May by a federal grand jury for tampering with consumer
products, theft of government property, unlawful possession of a controlled
substance by fraud and other related charges, according to U.S. Attorney
Richard F. Clippard.

Investigators charged that Stoltz, while working as a nurse anesthetist at
the VA hospital, "illegally diverted" Fentanyl, a pain relieving narcotic
which is most often used during surgeries.

They said Stoltz took the Fentanyl for himself and substituted Esmolol, a
beta blocker with no pain relieving qualities.

On Wednesday, Stoltz went to court in Nashville and pleaded guilty to the
tampering charge.

At his plea hearing, Stoltz admitted he was addicted to Fentanyl and said
he was using the painkiller himself instead of providing it to his patients
at the VA Medical Center, according to U.S. Attorney Clippard.

The case came under investigation when staff members at the VA Center
reported "the activities of Stoltz," Clippard said in a news release about
the case.

The VA Police opened the investigation and were aided along the way by the
Food & Drug Administration's office of Criminal Investigation, the VA
Office of Inspector General, and the Livingston, Tenn., Police Dept.,
Clippard said.

Livingston Police Chief Roger Phillips told the Herald-Citizen that his
agency's part in the case was to assist the other agencies in searching
Stoltz's apartment in Livingston last year.

Stoltz was working at Livingston Regional Hospital at the time, but left
the job and the town around the time authorities came to search his
University Street apartment, Chief Phillips said.

"I think he had only been here a few months, and he left town about the
same time that we helped them in the search," Phillips said. "So our part
in it was pretty simple -- we searched, and he split town."

He said Capt. Tim Emerton and another officer accompanied Dept. of Veterans
Affairs investigators on the search.

"They were looking for evidence of the diversion of medication, as I
recall," Chief Phillips said.

Stoltz could get the maximum punishment of 10 years and a fine of $250,000
for the offense.

He is to be sentenced on Oct. 19.

Clippard said the investigation for the VA Office of Inspector General was
conducted by Special Agent Mike Keen of Nashville. The case is being
prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Hilliard H. Hester.