WATERLOO, Iowa (IOWA CAPITAL DISPATCH) – An Iowa nurse who was convicted of burglarizing a patient’s home last year will keep her license subject to a year of suspension.
According to the state records, Lisa R. Freeland, a 59-year-old registered nurse from Waterloo, was working for Right at Home, an in-home health care provider for seniors and disabled adults, in December 2024.
Police records indicate that on Dec. 20, 2024, Freeland entered, without authorization, the home of a Right at Home patient-client as the man slept. The patient’s son, who also lived at the Waterloo residence, told officers he was out of town for an appointment when the incident happened, but noticed on the feed from his in-home security cameras that Freeland was in the house.
According to police, the security footage shows Freeland entering the residence while the patient was sleeping, then quietly walking through the living room, peeking into the kitchen, and then looking down the hallway to the patient’s bedroom.
Freeland, police reported “is then seen tip-toeing into the kitchen,” and then emerging with “a handful of white pills” that she placed in her coat pocket before walking out of the home.
Police allege that after the footage was discovered, other staff members from Right at Home counted the patient’s medications and determined that roughly 30 of his oxycodone tablets were missing.
Freeland was subsequently convicted of second-degree burglary, a felony, and received a deferred judgment. A misdemeanor charge of unlawful possession of prescription drugs was dismissed.
According to the Iowa Board of Nursing, Freeland was questioned about the matter and claimed she was providing respite care for the man on the day in question, despite having no authorization to be in his home.
In June 2025, the board charged Freeland with misappropriating the medications of a patient or agency, and engaging in behavior contradictory to professional decorum.
Recently, the board agreed to resolve the matter with a settlement agreement that calls for Freeland’s expired license as a practical nurse – not her active registered nurse’s license — to be suspended for one year and then placed on probation for two years. Board records indicate Freeland’s practical nurse license has been inactive since 1995.
As part of the settlement agreement, Freeland must also complete a substance abuse evaluation and comply with any recommendations that are made as part of that report. She is also required to enroll in a chemical drug-screening program.
The Iowa Capital Dispatch was unable to reach Freeland for comment.
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