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Rochester, MN (KROC AM News) - A Rochester woman has been charged with giving morphine to a resident of a local care facility without a license.

Police became involved after the female resident died last year and the “medical examiner opined that the victim died as a result of the toxic effects of morphine.”

Facing charges is 56-year-old Josephina Amaka Okeke, who was employed as a home health aide at the facility.

The woman who died was in hospice care and had a doctor order to receive a dose of morphine every 3 hours. According to the criminal complaint, “Okeke gave victim morphine once every hour for five hours.” A co-worker told an investigator Okeke was to give a mouth swab to the woman, not morphine. He said he later “saw Okeke re-writing the times in the log book.”

According to the complaint, Okeke told a police investigator:

“She did not know that morphine was supposed to be given every 3 hours to victim. She was not familiar with what is supposed to be administered to patients. Okeke said that she was being forced to administer medications and knew she wasn't supposed to. Okeke admitted to changing times in the NARC book. She gave victim the doses of morphine."

Okeke has been ordered to make her first court appearance next month.

News update: Rochester police suspect mobile jewelry thieves are back.

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