A sentencing hearing for a home health aide who has admitted she stole prescription drugs from an Allegan boy who later died after a seizure has been rescheduled.
Kristie Ann Mollohan of Kalamazoo pleaded guilty in September to two counts of a federal charge of attempted tampering with a consumer product. Mollohan admitted to Allegan police she’d replaced Valium being given to the boy and two other people as anti-seizure medication with water and taken the drug herself.
The federal indictment stated “(Mollohan) with reckless disregard for the risk that another person would be placed in danger of death or bodily injury and under circumstances manifesting extreme indifference to such risk, did tamper with a consumer product...”
She is now scheduled to be sentenced in United States District Court in Grand Rapids Wednesday, Feb. 20, at 3 p.m. by Judge Gordon J. Quist. The hearing also was previous rescheduled from December to January.
As part of plea agreement with federal prosecutors, a third count of attempted tampering with a consumer products will be dropped after sentencing. The charges are punishable by up to 10 years in prison.
Allegan police investigated the child’s death after an autopsy showed he didn’t have the expected amount of medication in his body at the time he died. Police said the lack of valium in the boy’s body may have failed to prevent him from having a seizure.
The autopsy suggested the drug had been about 95 percent diluted.
Allegan police investigated the case for about three months and ultimately referred the matter to the federal justice system after discussions with local and federal prosecutors. Police said they believed the case could be more easily charged and proven under federal laws.
Contact Dan Pepper at dpepper@allegannews.com or at (269) 673-5534.
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