A woman will be charged today with allegedly selling heroin from her hospital bed while she was a patient.
The woman is believed to have sold $1,400 worth of heroin from her room in Pennsylvania's Excela Westmoreland Hospital ICU, ABC News reported.
The woman was caught after she sold $90 worth of the drug to a confidential informant Friday night, WPXI Pittsburgh reported.
"She will be charged with possession with intent to deliver, delivery of a controlled substance, possession of a controlled substance and probably a paraphernalia charge as well," Greensburg Police Chief Captain Chad Zucco told ABC News.
Hospital staff realized something was up when they noticed and unusual number of people visiting the patient.
"The Intensive Care Unit at Excela Westmoreland Hospital cares for the sickest of sick patients, which is another reason our staff is keenly aware of what is happening in and around a patient's room as they monitor for sudden changes in health status," Excela spokeswoman Jennifer Miele said, WPXI reported. "Last week, they noticed an inordinate amount of foot traffic to one room. Rather than visitors who stayed for an hour or more, they saw people coming and going in a matter of minutes.
"Our staff found this to be suspicious and contacted hospital security. Our security staff watched closely from surveillance cameras, and observed the same pattern immediately. Within minutes, Greensburg police were called," she said.
The police ordered surveillance on the room and later sent an informant into the room to purchase 30 bags of heroin, ABC reported. A search of the patient and room revealed 380 additional bags of heroin along with paraphernalia $1,400 in cash. The items were found both in the suspect's purse and drawers located in the ICU hospital room.
"I've not seen anything thing like this before, dealing heroin set up out of a hospital bed," the chief told ABC.
"It gives a person pause that people can be this bold if you will," Excela health spokeswoman Robin Jennings told ABC News told ABC. "At a time when they can be quite ill, they still either through addiction or whatever life circumstances, that they would continue to pursue [drug dealing] even at their most vulnerable."
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