(Manilla) A Carroll County paramedic is facing criminal charges alleging she repeatedly stole liquid painkiller from a county ambulance service and replaced it with saline to conceal the theft.
Teresa Marie Johnson, 53, of Manilla, who is a state-licensed paramedic, is charged with the felony of unlawfully obtaining a controlled substance through fraud or deceit while working as a licensed paramedic in February 2025.
She also faces five separate counts of misdemeanor prohibited acts related to unlawful possession of drugs. She has yet to enter a plea in the case and is scheduled to be arraigned on April 21, 2025.
Police records indicate the alleged thefts occurred while Johnson worked for the Carroll County Ambulance Service.
Separately, the Iowa Bureau of Emergency and Medical Trauma Services has issued an emergency order suspending Johnson’s license as a paramedic. The board alleges her “continued practice of emergency medical services constitutes an immediate danger to the public health, safety, and welfare.”
According to the board, Johnson removed 25 micrograms of fentanyl from each of three different vials and replaced the missing opioid painkiller with normal saline.
In addition, Johnson is also accused of stealing one full vial of fentanyl. All of the vials of fentanyl were located in an ambulance in which she helped staff, the board alleges.
In its suspension order, the board claims Johnson admitted gluing the caps back on the vials after the alleged theft.
A hearing on the disciplinary charges has yet to be scheduled.
