The Johnstons were arrested last week after the Butler County Sheriff’s Office Undercover Regional Narcotics Taskforce executed a search warrant at their residence and found large amounts of syringes, drug paraphernalia and medications, including Oxycontin and other pain killers, stolen from area hospitals.
Sgt. Mike Hackney said undercover officer made buys from the couple at their home. He said they were selling and trading stolen drugs to support a heroin addiction.
“It looked like a pharmacy,” Sheriff Richard Jones said of the amount of drugs seized at the Johnstons’ home. “This is one of the lowest forms of thievery and treachery. They were stealing from dying and sick people who trusted them.”
Stephen Johnston was employed by a nursing home network and Whitney by a staffing agency for nurses. They worked at facilities and homes primarily in Montgomery County.
Whitney Johnston is a registered nurse who was first licensed in 2007, and Stephen Johnston is a practical nurse who was first licensed in 2009, according to Lisa Ferguson-Ramos of the Ohio Board of Nursing.
Ferguson-Ramos said the board does investigate accusations against nurses and works closely with law enforcement, but she said those investigations are confidential until completed.
The Johnston were booked into the Middletown City Jail and released on bond. They were scheduled to appear in Middletown Municipal Court Friday for a preliminary hearing, but Whitney’s attorney continued her case. Stephen Johnston did not appear and a beach warrant for his arrest was issued.
The investigation is ongoing and other charges are pending. The couple recently moved back to the area after living and working in Florida.
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