A former Tennessee EMT has been handed a federal prison sentence after pleading guilty to altering medication intended for patient care. Cleola Hogan, a 40-year-old from Cordova, was sentenced on December 4, to serve one year and a day in prison, with a following three years of supervised release, according to a release issued by the office of Acting United States Attorney Reagan Fondren, as reported by the U.S. Attorney's Office, Western District of Tennessee. The period of incarceration also includes mandatory drug and mental health treatment and counseling for Hogan.

The circumstances that led to Hogan's sentencing stem from a March 2022 incident where she was found to have extracted Benadryl from a vial and injected herself with the liquid antihistamine, which is crucial for treating severe allergic reactions. After using the drug, Hogan proceeded to replace the withdrawn Benadryl with saline solution and reseal the vial, thus putting patients at risk of serious health complications. Hogan's actions were not only a breach of the trust placed in medical professionals but also demonstrated a reckless disregard for patient safety.

According to the U.S. Attorney's Office, Western District of Tennessee, this case came to light thanks to the cooperative efforts of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s Office of Criminal Investigations and the Priority Ambulance Diversion Task Force. Hogan's guilty plea was entered earlier this year, on September 3, acknowledging her criminal tampering with a consumer product.

Chief United States District Court Judge Sheryl H. Lipman delivered the sentence, which expressly contains no possibility of parole. Fondren, in announcing the sentencing, thanked the prosecuting attorneys Carroll L. André III and former Assistant United States Attorney Courtney Lewis, along with the law enforcement teams responsible for investigating the case.