Ex-prison nurse convicted in connection with death probe
GEORGETOWN, Del. (AP) — A former nurse at a Delaware correctional facility has been found guilty of two misdemeanor charges in connection with an investigation into the death of an inmate.
Erin Clark-Penland, who worked at the Sussex Correctional Institution, was convicted this week of falsifying business records and providing a false statement to law enforcement after a one-day trial, the News Journal reported.
The Delaware Department of Justice took up the case after an investigation into the death of Tiffany Reeves found discrepancies in Clark-Penland’s statements to law enforcement. The probe found no foul play in the death of the 37-year-old mother of three, which drew national attention.
According to a news release from the state Department of Justice, Clark-Penland told investigators she had seen Reeves the night before Reeves was found dead and entered that claim in medical logs. Video surveillance and witness testimony showed that was untrue, the news release said.
Clark-Penland worked at the facility through a state contract with Connections Community Support Programs, which recently agreed to pay more than $15.3 million to settle federal lawsuits alleging health care fraud and violations of the Controlled Substances Act.
Clark-Penland, who has not yet been sentenced, faces up to two years in prison.