Trending Now - Nurse Steals Fentanyl for Months as AI Fails to Detect Theft

WHO:

CBS News - The nurse involved is John Stevenson, a nurse anesthetist at Erlanger Baroness.

CBS News - Erlanger Baroness is the largest hospital in Chattanooga, Tennessee.

CBS News - André Rebelo is a spokesperson for Wolters Kluwer, the company behind Sentri7.

CBS News - David Rastall is a neurologist and AI researcher at Johns Hopkins Medicine.

CBS News - Jacob Smith is a pharmacist in charge of drug security at Johns Hopkins Medicine.

CBS News - Terri Vidals is the founder of Rxpert Solutions.

CBS News - Bill Christian is a spokesperson for the Department of Health and Board of Nursing.

CBS News - Kristy Drollinger is an executive at Wolters Kluwer.

WHAT:

CBS News - John Stevenson admitted to stealing and abusing fentanyl for several months.

CBS News - The nurse failed a drug test and was subsequently fired.

CBS News - Sentri7, the AI-powered medication-monitoring software, failed to detect the theft of fentanyl.

CBS News - Approximately five instances of missing drugs were not flagged by Sentri7.

CBS News - Drug diversion is estimated to occur in about 15% of all healthcare workers at least once.

WHERE:

CBS News - The incidents occurred at Erlanger Baroness in Chattanooga, Tennessee.

CBS News - The Tennessee Board of Nursing issued a consent order regarding the case.

WHEN:

CBS News - Stevenson began diverting unused fentanyl in March 2025.

CBS News - The nursing board's order was issued in December 2025.

CBS News - The investigation into Stevenson was summarized in a consent order signed in November 2025.

CBS News - Co-workers reported Stevenson's impaired state on or around June 30, 2025.

WHY:

CBS News - The case highlights a failure of AI drug diversion software, which is supposed to monitor and detect missing drugs.

CBS News - Drug diversion is a widespread issue in U.S. hospitals, often leading to patients not receiving necessary medications.

HOW:

CBS News - Sentri7 is designed to monitor medication dispensing and identify discrepancies faster than human oversight.

CBS News - Hospitals are required to report lost or stolen drugs to the DEA but are not mandated to disclose AI software failures.

(UPDATED June 1, 2026 18:56 UTC)

A nurse anesthetist at Erlanger Baroness in Chattanooga, Tennessee, named John Stevenson, has admitted to stealing and abusing fentanyl over several months, ultimately failing a drug test and being fired. The AI-powered medication-monitoring software, Sentri7, failed to detect the theft, missing approximately five instances of missing drugs, raising concerns about its effectiveness in preventing drug diversion, which affects about 15% of healthcare workers. The Tennessee Board of Nursing issued a consent order regarding the case, highlighting the broader issue of drug diversion in U.S. hospitals and the need for better monitoring systems.