According to court documents, 58-year-old Victoria Peppenger lost her out-of-state nursing license in 1995 because of drug addiction.
Assistant District Attorney Jack Schmidt told Judge Keith Levy that Peppenger entered a treatment program that year for an addiction to hydrocodone, a narcotic pain reliever.
An agreement between Peppenger and the Alaska Division of Occupational Licensing in 2001 regarding the matter allowed her to begin working as a nurse in the state.
Peppenger was arrested Wednesday on charges of drug possession and theft after a doctor at Bartlett reported suspected drug tampering.
Hospital CEO Shawn Morrow says Peppenger was a recent hire and had been working there for less than a month.
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