AMARILLO, Texas (KVII) — A nurse accused of stealing pain pills intended for her patients was indicted.
A Potter County grand jury indicted Kimberly Ann Echevarria, 41, on one count of diverting a controlled substance for personal use.
According to court documents obtained by ABC 7 News, Echevarria stole the pills while working as a nurse at Heritage Skilled Nursing and Rehab.
On May 24, 2025, residents began to complain they were not getting their pain meds from the night nurse, Echevarria.
An internal audit which started two days later found the pill count was off.
Surveillance video reviewed by investigators allegedly caught Echevarria removing pills from a medication cart, transferring them from hand to hand, and placing them in her mouth.
A urine sample from Echevarria showed multiple substances in her system, including THC, barbiturates, benzodiazepines, buprenorphine, methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA), oxycodone, phencyclidine, propoxyphene, cocaine, methamphetamine and amphetamine.
During an interview with police, Echevarria denied selling medications and initially said she had not taken any pills from the facility. When shown the surveillance video, she later acknowledged taking pills, stating she took them for herself and not for distribution, the complaint said.
Echevarria told investigators she had struggled with narcotics use in the past and admitted taking pills on two or three occasions due to stress and depression, according to court records. She estimated taking four pills and said the medication was Tylenol with codeine.
Investigators searched Echevarria’s bag with her consent and reported finding two narcotics administration sheets belonging to patients, which nurses are not permitted to keep. No drugs were found in her vehicle, the complaint stated.