Prairie Lakes Healthcare System nurse Heather Benson was arrested Sept. 23 on the charge of obtaining or attempting to obtain a prescription drug by fraud, deceit, or misrepresentation for the theft of the prescription drug Propofol.
According to the charging document, on Sept. 22 the Watertown Police Department responded to a call for a nurse that had injected herself with the drug Propofol. Benson was found by an unnamed staff member with an intravenous line (IV) in her right leg. Nearby, a used 100mg bottle of Propofol was found along with four syringes.
Propofol is a liquid, injectable anesthetic most commonly used for general anesthesia in surgeries and outpatient procedures. Recreational use of the drug is uncommon, with most cases occurring in healthcare professionals who have access to the drug.
Upon waking, Benson told the staff member she had injected herself with the drug to help her sleep. Her story changed when interviewed by an officer; she immediately admitted to stealing the drug and claimed she took it to kill herself.
Due to her statement about suicide, she was placed under a psychiatric hold. She was subsequently cleared by the Human Service Agency and arrested the next day at her home.
After being booked, she was released on a personal recognizance bond by a judge.
Benson has a checkered past with the law—she was previously arrested and found guilty of illegally possessing prescription drugs in 2017 which in turn enhances this case to a felony. She also has prior DUI and drug arrests, civil suits, along with multiple domestic assault incidents and restraining orders against her.