A nurse at an Epsom, N.H., nursing home was convicted and sentenced after investigators found she tampered with patient medications, replacing prescription drugs with melatonin.
Caitlin Neider, 33, of Concord, was working at Epsom Healthcare Center, a senior living facility, when another nurse noticed irregularities during a routine medication count on May 25, 2024. The medication cards of two patients appeared to have been altered.
During the facility’s internal investigation, Neider admitted she had diverted the prescription medications and substituted them with melatonin. The nursing home notified Epsom Police, who launched a full investigation.
Neider later confirmed her actions to the police as well. The Attorney General’s office, in a statement, said that there is no indication that any patients at Epsom Healthcare Center were administered the altered medication.
In court, Neider pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of possession of a prescription drug without a prescription.
She was sentenced to 12 months at the Merrimack County House of Corrections and ordered to pay a $350 fine plus statutory penalty assessments, but the entire sentence and fine were suspended for five years, provided she remains on good behavior and complies with all conditions.
As part of those conditions, Neider agreed to voluntarily surrender her nursing license for five years and to continue participating in treatment programs.
Members of the New Hampshire Department of Justice Medicaid Fraud Control Unit prosecuted the case.
