A nurse from Beaufort Memorial Hospital faces multiple charges of forging doctors’ notes to secure opioids, according to arrest warrants.
Shannon Dandridge, 41, of Walterboro was charged with six counts of violating drug distribution laws by the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control on Thursday morning, according to jail records.
Dandridge is accused of entering “unauthorized medication” orders from two different doctors to obtain Oxycodone in December 2019, according to warrants.
The Schedule II drug is “a popular drug of abuse” and simulates “euphoria and feelings of relaxation,” according to the Drug Enforcement Administration.
A pharmacist who worked at Beaufort Memorial Hospital was also charged earlier this month with stealing opioids from the hospital in October 2019.
Each count of drug distribution, a felony, carries a penalty of up to five years in prison, S.C. law states.
When we publish mugshots
The Island Packet and Beaufort Gazette publishes police booking photos, or mugshots, in the following instances:
In situations where a public figure or someone in a position of public trust is arrested
In cases where there is an immediate and widespread threat to public safety
In cases where the arrested person is accused of a crime reporters have evidence to believe involved numerous, unknown victims
Reporters will avoid using mugshots as lead images for online articles in order to limit their circulation on social media, except in cases where the public is served by the immediate identification of the accused. Reporters and editors may use discretion in situations that don’t meet the criteria outlined in this policy but still present a compelling reason to publish a mugshot.
This story was originally published August 27, 2020 at 2:02 PM.
Jake Shore is a senior writer covering breaking news for The Island Packet and Beaufort Gazette. He reports on criminal justice, police, and the courts system in Beaufort and Jasper Counties. Jake originally comes from sunny California and attended school at Fordham University in New York City. In 2020, Jake won a first place award for beat reporting on the police from the South Carolina Press Association.
