BRISTOL, Tenn. (WOKI) — A former Bristol Regional Medical Center nurse has been indicted following an investigation into allegations that she diverted prescription narcotics intended for patients.
According to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, special agents assigned to the agency’s Medicaid Fraud Control Division and Drug Investigation Division launched an investigation in December 2025 involving Heather Nicole Leonard, a registered nurse employed at Bristol Regional Medical Center at the time.
Investigators, working with assistance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s Office of Criminal Investigations, developed information indicating Leonard allegedly took Oxycodone tablets that had been prescribed for patients in her care.
Hospital officials terminated Leonard’s employment shortly after the allegations surfaced, according to the TBI.
Last month, the Sullivan County Grand Jury returned an indictment charging Leonard, 38, with one count of Prescription Drug Fraud.
On Monday, Leonard surrendered to authorities at the Sullivan County Jail. She was booked on the charge and later released after posting a $10,000 bond.
The case stems from a joint investigation conducted by state and federal authorities into the alleged diversion of controlled substances from a healthcare setting.
As with all criminal cases, the charge is an accusation only. Leonard is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.
