Former Patient First nurse faces dozens of felony charges after allegedly tampering with pain medication in Colonial Heights

COLONIAL HEIGHTS, Va. (WRIC) -- A former Patient First nurse is facing dozens of felony charges after allegedly tampering with a stock of pain medications at a Colonial Heights facility.

A spokesperson with Patient First confirmed on Wednesday, Dec. 3, that the company discovered evidence of "tampering in the small stock of pain medications that [they] maintain for administration to patients."

According to court documents, former Patient First nurse, Teresa Keiter, violated multiple Virginia Codes during her time employed at Patient First and allegedly "adulterated and mishandled ad/or diverted meperidine and morphine for her personal and/or unauthorized use."

Keiter has been charged with 15 felony counts of adulteration of drugs, 15 counts of illegally taking drugs and one count of possessing a schedule I drug, per court documents.

Keiter reportedly told the Department of Health Professions (DHP) investigator that she was in "some sort of manic state" during this time. Per court documents, Keiter was having anxiety and panic attacks and said she tampered with the medications so "she could control something and get away" in her statements to Patient First management.

On Jan. 21, 2025, a Patient First employee discovered the suspected tampering while counting controlled substances after they noticed a meperidine 50 mg vial had a cap that was not flat on top of the vial and had clear glue around it.

The following day, on Jan. 22, 2025, the Patient First employee removed the cap and discovered a puncture mark, with court documents saying this was consistent with the manipulation of numerous vials of meperidine and morphine.

Court documents state that Keiter took vials of both drugs into the bathroom, emptied their contents into the toilet, refilled the vials with saline, glued the caps back on and put them back into the supply box.

In total, at least 52 vials were tampered with between June 2024 and February 2025, with more than 30 vials being "manipulated," per court documents. Keiter admitted to tampering with the vials for "personal administration, and not disposal."

Court documents show that between March 17, 2005, and Jan. 17, 2025, Keiter -- who was also a patient at the facility -- received meperidine for migraines on 45 occasions and was also prescribed various narcotic pain medications, including oxycodone, hydrocodone and codeine.

"Ms. Keiter's patient records suggest drug-seeking behavior," court documents said.

According to medical records, Keiter was diagnosed with several mental health conditions and had displayed erratic behavior while under care, sometimes appearing disheveled and poorly groomed.

Two staffers reported Keiter had made suicidal statements, per court documents.

Keiter said she experienced increased mental health concerns following an incident with a coworker on Jan. 7, 2025. As a result, she was medically out of work until Jan. 25, 2025.

She later entered partial hospitalization at a facility until Feb. 17, 2025, and was admitted inpatient at the same facility from Feb. 18, 2025 to Feb. 22, 2025. She was diagnosed with bipolar disorder and admitted to being diagnosed with anxiety, depression and PTSD, in addition to regular marijuana use.

Patient First terminated Keiter on March 3, 2025, with court documents noting that she did not assess or document that she had assessed patients, as directed by a physician.

A total of 14 patients were potentially affected, according to the Patient First spokesperson.

According to the spokesperson, Patient First reported their concerns to the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and contacted the patients "to ensure that no one was harmed."

"We have since modified our security procedures to reduce the risk of diversion in the future," the spokesperson said.