Postel charged with possession of controlled substances

A Monticello resident and Cedar Rapids hospital nurse will plead guilty to three federal charges on Tuesday, Feb. 4, in Cedar Rapids. 

Kelly Postel, 43, of Monticello, was previously charged with three counts of acquiring a controlled substance by misrepresentation, fraud, deception, and subterfuge. 

According to district court documents, between Oct. 1, 2018 and Nov. 30, 2018, on approximately 10 occasions, Postel “knowingly and intentionally acquired and obtained possession of fentanyl and morphine.” She acquired the controlled substances either from the hospital pharmacy in which she was a registered nurse for, or by using a syringe to access the intravenous line of her patients. Postel injected the drugs into herself while on duty at the unnamed hospital in which she worked. On one occasion, Postel attempted to acquire fentanyl from a patient’s line, but the drug turned out to be Versed (which contains midazolam), a Schedule IV controlled substance that is used to sedate patients. 

If convicted, Postel must forfeit her nursing license. 

Postel was arrested for the charges in December 2019. She initially entered a not guilty plea, but has since agreed to a plea agreement. She could face up to four years in prison on each charge.