(WWJ) — A Grosse Pointe Park man is facing federal charges for allegedly tampering with fentanyl while working as a registered nurse at a Metro Detroit hospital.
Travis Eskridge has been indicted on three counts of tampering with a consumer product — specifically fentanyl, a Schedule II controlled substance — one count of theft of medical products by an employee and one count of obtaining a controlled substance by fraud.
Acting US Attorney Julie Beck and Ronne Malham, Special Agent in Charge with FDA Office of Criminal Investigations’ Chicago Field Office, announced the indictment was unsealed in federal court Thursday.
Eskridge, 53, worked as a registered nurse in the emergency room at Ascension St. John, though officials did not disclose which location.
He allegedly tampered with vials containing fentanyl — a powerful narcotic pain reliever — which “he knew were intended to be administered to patients in the hospital’s emergency room,” according to the US attorney’s office.
The feds allege Eskridge removed fentanyl from the vials, replaced fentanyl with another liquid, and returned the tampered vials to the locked drug storage system.
“Eskridge did this with reckless disregard for the dangerous risk to patients that results from such tampering,” a press release from the attorney’s office said.
The indictment also alleges that he stole fentanyl vials as “part of a pattern of thefts” over a nine-month period and obtained fentanyl by fraud for his personal use.
Eskridge was removed from his position at Ascension St. John Hospital in August of 2022 when the tampering and thefts were discovered, officials said.
“Such crimes are a betrayal of the trust placed in licensed medical professionals. To protect the health and safety of our citizens, we take crimes like this seriously and pursue those in positions of trust who choose to harm others,” Beck said, per a press release.
Eskridge appeared in United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan Thursday and was released on bond with conditions that included not seeking employment as a nurse.
The maximum penalties provided by statute for these offenses include up to 10 years in prison for each of the three tampering counts, up to five years for the theft count, and up to four years for the acquiring by fraud count. Eskridge could also be fined up to $250,000 for each charge.
No information about Eskridge’s next court appearance was released.