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A traveling registered nurse pleaded not guilty Friday in a case involving prescription painkillers obtained from Hilo Medical Center.
Trisha Ramirez, 37, of Hesperia, Calif., was extradited from the mainland to face 15 felony charges, including five counts of obtaining controlled substances by deception or fraud, the Hawaii Tribune-Herald reported.
Ramirez obtained the drugs, including morphine and fentanyl, in March 2013 for her personal use, according to police.
Family Court Judge Henry Nakamoto ordered Ramirez to appear for trial on June 15 before Hilo Circuit Judge Greg Nakamura. Ramirez was indicted in November by a Hilo grand jury and her bail was set at $30,000.
Ramirez’s attorney, Damir Kouliev, said the Army veteran and mother of two has been "extremely cooperative" with investigators and "does not want to subject herself to this type of experience again."
Common source might have triggered quake
No changes were detected in Kilauea Volcano’s ongoing eruptions after a magnitude-4.5 earthquake was reported north of Naalehu Saturday morning, the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory said.
The quake was reported at 2:18 a.m. and centered about 5 miles north of Naalehu in the Kau District and 6 miles deep, according to Wes Thelen, the observatory’s seismic network manager.
Three aftershocks, magnitudes 1.6, 1.5 and 1.4, were recorded at 3:30 a.m.
The depth, location and recorded seismic waves of the earthquake suggest a source on the large fault plane between the old ocean floor and overlying volcanic crust, common for earthquakes in this area, scientists said.
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