A Youngsville woman charged with stealing oxycodone from a Warren nursing home has been sentenced to between six months and two years in the Warren County Jail and ordered not to work with care-dependent people in the future.

Christina Drayer, 41, pleaded guilty in September to obtaining a controlled substance by fraud and four counts of endangering the welfare of a care-dependent person, according to information from the Warren County District Attorney’s Office. The charges were brought by the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office.

Judge Gregory Hammond on Friday sentenced Drayer to six months to two years and one day in the county jail, drug and alcohol evaluations and not to be employed with care-dependent people and/or medications as well as 20 hours community service for the charge of obtaining a controlled substance by fraud. She was sentenced to one year probation, to run consecutively, and 20 hours of additional community service the four counts of endangering the welfare of a care-dependent person.

According to the affidavit of probable cause, Drayer was working as a nurse at Kinzua Healthcare and Rehabilitation Center on Water Street. The charges came in the wake of a 10-month investigation and date to conduct alleged in 2021.

Investigators say that a “regulatory controlled substance review” was conducted at the facility in March 2022 and there was a report of “mishandled, stolen and diverted controlled substances.”

“The incident involved a previous employee who was suspected of stealing oxycodone medications,” the affidavit alleged. “The stolen oxycodone medications were reported to have been stored in blister pack type cards and were found to have been removed and replaced with similar resembling medications, such as a fluid drying medication or blood pressure medications.”

Staff told investigators that blister packs for four patients had been tampered with and that “the back of the medication cards had tape affixed to them where the pills were pressed out of the paper foil area.” Investigators allege that a total of 24 staff were tested for oxycodone around June 2021 and Drayer was the sole employee to test positive.

Staff told investigators that Drayer was questioned about that test and denied taking the medication “and stated she would get hives if she took oxycodone.” She allegedly got back in touch with staff later and told them that she inadvertently took Percocet pills that were intended for her daughter and had been placed in a Tylenol bottle. She reportedly told investigators that she didn’t hurt any of her patients and took the pills for personal use.

Investigators said during an interview with Drayer that she “appeared emotional as if she were beginning to cry” before she “stated she did take a few oxycodone pills for herself.”