Authorities in Texas say a nurse working at Northeast Methodist Hospital in the San Antonio area stole narcotics to feed his own drug habit, replacing the important medications with lidocaine, an anesthetic.
According to Fox News, 29-year-old Kyle Evans is accused of injecting himself with hydromorphone stolen from at least five vials of the medication.
He was arrested on Thursday on suspicion of tampering with a consumer product and drug diversion, as reported by the San Antonio Express News.
The suspect, who reportedly has HIV, admitted to stealing and using the narcotic, police say. Reports claim staff could not be certain whether he used the same syringe to inject himself and to refill the containers with the anesthetic.
The alleged thefts occurred in February and investigators first interviewed Evans last month. It was at this time that he reportedly admitted to taking the drugs.
Police say three of the vials he allegedly stole had been sent to analysts for additional examination.
Despite the communicable disease, hospital officials say patients were not at risk of contracting HIV because employees discovered the alleged thefts early and responded to the incidents with appropriate safety measures.
[Featured image: Kyle Evans, Bexar County Jail]
