RN accused of stealing pain pills from Gainesville nursing home

A Mountain Home, Arkansas, man is facing a felony stealing charge in Ozark County after authorities say  he illegally removed Oxycodone from a medication dispensing machine at a Gainesville nursing home while working as a registered nurse and failed to give the medication to the resident it was prescribed for.

Michael Peach has been charged with a class D felony count of stealing in connection with the alleged incident.

According to the probable cause statement prepared by Ozark County Sheriff Cass Martin, the sheriff’s office was notified of an incident involving a RN at the Gainesville facility allegedly stealing controlled substances.

The report says a witness at the nursing home told investigators that around 7 a.m. Feb. 26, 2026, they observed Peach standing at the facility’s I-STAT medication dispensing machine in the 200 hall medication room using the device’s keypad. 

Afterward, the witness asked a Certified Medication Technician if they had requested Peach obtain medication from the machine on their behalf. The technician reportedly said they had not requested any medication be dispensed by Peach for residents.

The witness later reportedly saw Peach walking from the direction of the 400 hall bathroom, at which time he allegedly looked at them and said, “Well, I feel alive again.”

A supervisor at the nursing home reviewed I-STAT medication dispensing records and discovered Peach had removed Oxycodone, a controlled substance, at approximately 6:57 a.m. under the name of a resident at the facility. The supervisor later spoke with the resident, who reportedly said she did not recall receiving the pain medication and believed her last dose had been several hours earlier.

According to the sheriff’s report, witnesses said Peach admitted he had not assessed the resident before removing the medication from the machine and did so because he “just knew” the resident would need the pill. Witnesses also told investigators the Medication Administration Record (MAR) had not been checked, the medication card in the cart had not been used despite being available, and no documentation existed showing the medication had been administered.

The report says the supervisor and another employee conducted an internal audit of the I-STAT dispensing system covering the previous six months. Investigators say the audit revealed multiple occasions in which Peach allegedly removed narcotics from the system without corresponding documentation in the MAR or electronic health record. Witnesses reportedly told investigators they had never requested Peach remove narcotics on their behalf.

Sheriff Martin responded to the facility on March 6, where he photographed the I-STAT medication dispensing machine and secured medication cabinet.

“I was advised the system requires multiple security steps to access medication, including secured room entry, user login to the I-STAT system, and an additional code to access the medication drawer,” Sheriff Martin wrote in the report.

Later that day, the sheriff traveled to Peach’s residence in Mountain Home, Arkansas, and attempted to speak with him regarding the investigation. According to the report, Peach told the sheriff he did not wish to speak without an attorney present.

A criminal history inquiry also reportedly revealed Peach was arrested in December 2018 in Crystal Lake, Illinois, for allegedly stealing morphine from another healthcare facility. The Ozark County Sheriff’s Department has requested records related to that incident.

“Based on witness statements, I-STAT records, the facility audit identifying multiple undocumented narcotic removals and the lack of documentation showing the medication was administered to a resident, I believe Michael Peach knowingly appropriated a controlled substance belonging to the victim without consent and with the purpose to deprive the owner thereof,” Martin wrote.

Peach posted a $1,500 bond and remains out of custody on pretrial release. He was scheduled to appear before Judge Craig Carter at 9 a.m. today, June 3, for arraignment in Ozark County Circuit Court.

Peach is represented by defense attorney Joshua Brown of Mountain Grove. The state is represented by Ozark County Prosecuting Attorney Lee Pipkins.