A 39-year-old Idaho woman accused of stealing pain medication from patients while working at an assisted living facility in Kalispell in 2023 pleaded guilty in federal court last week.  

Nicole Elice Anderson of Post Falls, Idaho entered a guilty plea to one count of unlawfully obtaining controlled substances in U.S. District Court in Missoula on Nov. 1. Anderson faces up to four years in prison, a $250,000 fine and one year of supervised release. 

Prosecutors accused Anderson of replacing oxycodone and hydrocodone meant for patients with over-the-counter pain medications between February and March 2023. Drug Enforcement Administration agents began investigating the scheme after 120 hydrocodone tablets for a single patient were reported missing in March 2023, according to court documents. The tablets were swapped out with Tylenol.  

Investigators found evidence of tampering with seven medication cards and began zeroing in on Anderson after learning she was one of two employees with access to the drugs when they went missing.  

The assisted living facility's management team interviewed Anderson and the other employee. Both agreed to undergo drug tests, but Anderson quit before the results returned.  

She tested positive for oxycodone, court documents alleged. The other employee's test came back negative for the drug.  

Authorities later learned that Anderson had prescriptions for hydrocodone from seven different providers between February 2021 and March 2023. She allegedly told coworkers she received the medication for back pain and acknowledged becoming addicted to the medication. She also asked colleagues for pain medication, court documents said.  

Witnesses allegedly told investigators that they saw Anderson checking out medications for patients without prescriptions.  

After leaving the Kalispell facility, Anderson began working for an assisted living facility in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho. Officers with the Coeur d'Alene Police Department began investigating the theft of hydrocodone from the facility in June 2023, according to court documents.  

Supervisors there found evidence of someone tampering with medication packs, replacing hydrocodone and hydromorphone pills with Tylenol and anti-anxiety medication, according to court documents.  

U.S. Magistrate Judge Kathleen DeSoto set sentencing for March 25, when Anderson is scheduled to appear before U.S. District Judge Dana Christensen. The U.S. Attorney's Office is prosecuting the case. 

News Editor Derrick Perkins can be reached at 758-4430 or dperkins@dailyinterlake.com.