ROANOKE, Va. – A former Roanoke County EMS worker has been sentenced to three years in federal prison for tampering with vials of fentanyl and hydromorphone, according to the U.S. Dept. of Justice.
Jeffrey Leedy, 32, allegedly tampered with at least 50 vials of fentanyl and hydromorphone while working at Central Lynchburg General Hospital as an EMS worker for Roanoke County EMS. He was sentenced to 36 months during his court appearance on Wednesday.
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Officials said that in March 2021, Leedy pleaded guilty to one count of tampering with a consumer product that affects interstate commerce with reckless disregard for the risk that another person will be placed in danger of death or bodily injury.
This comes after a Roanoke City EMS ambulance crew member found a vial of fentanyl that they thought was tampered with while on an EMS call in May of 2019, officials said. The worker noticed that the vial’s cap wasn’t secured and thought the vial had been tampered with. After further investigation, authorities found that Leedy removed the fentanyl and replaced it with saline.
A Roanoke County EMS supervisor then found that Leedy had been accessing the rescue squad building at night while he wasn’t working to take fentanyl and after further investigation, officials found at least 50 vials of fentanyl and hydromorphone had been tampered with.
This investigation was conducted by the Food and Drug Administration - Office of Criminal Investigations and Virginia State Police.