Last week, a nurse from New England, Lori Robertson, stood before a court, pleading not guilty to allegations of a shocking crime: replacing a hospice patient’s oxycodone with a household cleaner. This distressing charge has cast a shadow over a long-term care facility in Amesbury, Massachusetts, where Robertson was employed.

According to a report from Boston.com, Robertson was brought before a federal court facing a serious accusation—one count of tampering with a consumer product. The incident, which allegedly occurred in the spring, involved a vulnerable non-verbal dementia patient who relied on liquid oxycodone for relief.

Federal authorities accuse Robertson of extracting the prescribed medication from the bottle using a syringe and replacing it with a potentially harmful cleaner. The charging documents highlight the reckless disregard for human safety, noting that Robertson’s actions demonstrated “extreme indifference” to the potential for grave harm or even death.

However, details remain murky. The documents do not clarify whether the patient received the contaminated medication or how the authorities discovered this alarming substitution. As the case unfolds, the community is left grappling with the unsettling implications of such betrayal in a place meant for care and compassion.

The documents do not say if the cleaner was administered to the patient or how officials discovered the switch.

Robertson, 65, was released from custody and ordered to have not contact with victims or witnesses, not use alcohol or other substances, submit to a drug test, and undergo a substance abuse treatment program.

She faces up to 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a fine of up to $250,000 if she is convicted, the Boston Herald said.

Robertson is due back in court again on November 24.