Nurse accused of stealing Mariners Hospital prescription pad, forging doctor's signature

Deputies say Heather Born filled Percocet prescriptions using doctor's signature

Heather Born works as a nurse at Mariners Hospital in Tavernier.

KEY LARGO, Fla. ā€“ A nurse at a Florida Keys hospital was arrested Monday after she stole a prescription pad, forged an emergency room doctor's signature and filled the prescriptions at an area pharmacy, according to the Monroe County Sheriff's Office.

Heather Born, 30, of Key Largo, faces charges of forgery, possession of a controlled substance without a prescription and petit theft.

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According to a probable cause report, Born was working as a nurse at Mariners Hospital in Tavernier when she stole two hospital prescriptions, forged Dr. Thomas Morrison's signature, filled the prescriptions at a CVS in Key Largo twice in April and signed the receipt.

Deputies began investigating July 15 when Morrison notified them about possible prescription fraud. Morrison said he received a call from a CVS pharmacist who told him that she believed a forged prescription had been written in his name. She became suspicious because the prescriptions were written on a Mariners Hospital prescription pad instead of his personal prescription pad.

According to the report, the Percocet prescriptions for Born were filled on April 3 and April 13. Morrison said the prescriptions exceeded the amount that he would typically prescribe for a patient. He said he had not seen Born in any capacity and identified the signatures as fraudulent.

When a deputy traveled to her home to speak with her about the investigation, Born refused to do so without an attorney.

A representative for Baptist Health South Florida, which operates Mariners Hospital, had no comment about the arrest.


About the Author:

Peter Burke returned for a second stint of duty at Local 10 News in February 2014.