ROCKPORT — The Gloucester nurse charged with injecting a girl who got sick at a teen drinking party at her home is now facing Rockport police charges of illegally stealing the medication from the nursing home where she worked at the time.
According to Gloucester police, Julie Leonard, 36, of 5 Thompson St. allegedly injected a teenaged girl with anti-nausea medication after a drinking party held by Leonard’s underaged daughter and her friends.
Gloucester police reports allege that Leonard injected the teenager with an anti-nausea medication, believed to be Compazine, hours after the party, when the girl, who had become ill at the party, stayed at Leonard’s home and asked in the morning to be taken to Addison Gilbert Hospital.
The incident occurred in November 2012, but Leonard was arrested just last month after family members of one of the teens came forward and police undertook an investigation. Leonard was then charged with assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, furnishing alcohol to minors, reckless endangerment of children and contributing to their delinquency.
Now, Leonard is facing a larceny charge as a result of her allegedly taking the medication home from her job at Rockport’s Kindred Den-Mar nursing home. Nursing home officials, who initially suspended Leonard in January after the Gloucester charges were filed, confirmed Wednesday that she is no longer employed with the company.
Rockport Police Sgt. Timothy Frithsen said Wednesday that a brief investigation took place soon after Leonard was arrested in January, with help from Den-Mar officials and Gloucester police. He added that nursing home officials notified the police soon after they realized the medication may have been stolen. Both police and Den-Mar officials said that the nursing home continues to fully cooperate with authorities.
Leonard has not been arraigned for the larceny charge yet, but will be summonsed to court for the charge, authorities said Wednesday.
The nurse’s husband, Mark Leonard, also faces a criminal complaint for furnishing alcohol to minors, reckless endangerment of children, and contributing to the delinquency of a minor. Meanwhile, a second woman — Stevi-Lyn Salafia, 23, of Blynman Avenue in Gloucester — has also since been charged with providing alcohol to minors who attended the party. Salafia allegedly confessed during an interview with police who were investigating the drinking party at the Leonards’ Thompson Street home.
Julie Leonard has been scheduled for a compliance hearing March 29 in Gloucester District Court.
James Niedzinski can be reached at 978-283-7000, x 3455 or at jniedzinski@gloucestertimes.com.
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