Crime

Dorchester nurse allegedly prescribed painkillers to friends and family illegally

NORWICH, CT - MARCH 23: Oxycodone pain pills spill out of a prescription container on March 23, 2016 in Norwich, CT. Communities nationwide are struggling with the unprecidented opioid pain pill and heroin addiction epidemic. On March 15, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC), announced guidelines for doctors to reduce the amount of opioid painkillers prescribed, in an effort to curb the epidemic. The CDC estimates that most new heroin addicts first became hooked on prescription pain medication before graduating to heroin, which is stronger and cheaper. (Photo by John Moore/Getty Images) John Moore / Getty Images

By Catherine Lindsay

1 minute to read

A Dorchester nurse practitioner was arraigned Wednesday on charges relating to allegedly prescribing painkillers to friends and family members who didn’t legally need them, Attorney General Maura Healey announced.Roberta Regan, 51, was arraigned in Suffolk Superior Court on six counts of illegally prescribing oxycodone. She pleaded not guilty and was released on her own recognizance, the Attorney General’s office said.After Regan was fired from her position as a nurse practitioner at MetroWest Medical Center for misusing prescription pads, an investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) revealed that she had allegedly written 119 prescriptions for 10,007 tablets in one year, but only 12 of those were for legitimate patients, according to the Attorney General’s office. “This defendant violated her responsibility and abused her position by allegedly prescribing powerful painkillers to her family and friends,” Healey said. “At a time when we’re working to combat the opioid epidemic, actions like these threaten that progress and help fuel addiction.”Authorities said that none of those who received the illegal pills were Regan’s patients, and while some were using them to treat pain, many, including Regan, developed an addiction.Regan was indicted on June 30 by a statewide grand jury on charges of unlawful prescription of oxycodone, clonazepam, and lorazepam in Suffolk, Plymouth, and Norfolk counties. She is expected to be arraigned in Norfolk Superior Court on July 28 and Plymouth Superior Court on August 4, according to a statement. She is also scheduled to appear in Suffolk Superior Court for a pre-trial conference on September 13.

To comment, please create a screen name in your profile

Conversation

This discussion has ended. Please join elsewhere on Boston.com