Florida ICU nurse enters a critically ill patient’s room at Cleveland Clinic. Then a family member sees her allegedly draw fluid from the IV
Nurse claims she was responding to an alarm.
A 54-year-old intensive care unit (ICU) nurse is facing serious legal consequences after being caught in a troubling situation at Cleveland Clinic Tradition Hospital. According to Law&Crime, Leslie Ann Pope, who resides in Jupiter, Florida, was arrested last week.
Pope faces three felony charges following an investigation into the theft of medication from a vulnerable patient. The charges include grand theft of a controlled substance, possession of a controlled substance without a prescription, and fraudulently obtaining a controlled substance.
The situation unfolded on June 24 and 25, 2026. A family member of a critically ill patient became suspicious of Pope’s behavior in the hospital room. The witness reported seeing Pope use a syringe to withdraw fluid directly from the patient’s fentanyl infusion. After drawing the liquid, Pope allegedly placed the syringe into her pocket and quickly exited the room. Pope was not assigned to this patient’s care at any point.
The patient’s significant other had professional experience in the medical field
This background allowed the family member to recognize that the ICU nurse’s actions were highly unusual. The witness promptly reported the incident to the hospital staff, setting an internal investigation into motion. The hospital later notified the Florida Department of Health, which eventually brought the Port St. Lucie Police Department into the fold.
During the investigation, police reviewed surveillance footage from inside the patient’s room. This footage became a central piece of evidence for the detectives. It completely contradicted the explanations provided by the ICU nurse during her interview.
Brittany McNally, the public information officer for the Port St. Lucie Police Department, spoke about the evidence gathered during the process. “The patient was on a specific monitor for the situation that he was in the ICU,” McNally stated. “And this individual had this monitor that had video recordings, which was a key piece of evidence in this case and completely contradicted what her recollection was.”
According to CBS12, Pope attempted to justify her presence in the room by claiming she was responding to an alarm. She specifically mentioned an “upstream occlusion” as the reason for her intervention with the medical equipment. However, the patient’s family member disputed this account entirely. The witness reported that no alarm was sounding at the time Pope entered the room.
The situation escalated the following evening when Pope returned to the same room
She approached the IV equipment once again, which prompted the family member to intervene. Detectives later examined footage that showed Pope manipulating the protective caps on the infusion equipment. While investigators could not definitively prove that additional medication was removed during this second visit, the behavior was clearly suspicious.
“That’s not standard procedure, from what I understand at the hospital,” McNally explained to the media. “But again, she’s not even assigned that patient. And there was no initial justification for her to even be in that room at the time.”
The Port St. Lucie Police Department conducted an extensive investigation to build their case. This work included interviewing witnesses, reviewing medication transaction records, and analyzing administrative hospital logs. They also coordinated their efforts with the Drug Enforcement Administration to ensure a thorough review of the facts and put out a statement.
Pope has denied everything
Following her arrest, Pope denied taking any drugs from patients or using them for personal consumption. Despite these denials, authorities maintain that they possess an overwhelming amount of evidence to support the charges. Police have not yet speculated on whether the stolen fentanyl was intended for personal use or for illicit sale.
Dr. Lewis Nelson, dean of the Florida Atlantic University College of Medicine, noted that hospitals usually have robust safeguards in place for medication. These systems often include electronic tracking and strict protocols for disposing of unused drugs. “But in order to allow a nurse or anybody to do their job, there’s going to have to be some vulnerabilities in the system,” Nelson remarked.
A spokesperson for Cleveland Clinic confirmed that Pope is no longer employed by the hospital system. The facility is currently cooperating fully with law enforcement as the investigation continues. The spokesperson declined to provide further details, citing the active status of the case.
Pope was booked into the Palm Beach County Jail on October 8. She was later released on October 10 after posting a $150,000 bond. The case remains an active criminal matter, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Authorities are encouraging anyone who believes they may have experienced similar circumstances to reach out to the police department for further review.
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