Attorney General Kelly A. Ayotte announces that Melissa Dunham, age 32, of Hooksett, New Hampshire was convicted of taking narcotic medications from a resident in the nursing home where she worked. Dunham, a licensed nursing assistant, pleaded guilty in Hillsborough County Superior Court to the crime of patient abuse for removing a fentanyl patch from an 86 year-old resident of Courville at Manchester and keeping it for her own use. Fentanyl, a narcotic that is more powerful than morphine, is used to treat severe and persistent pain.

Dunham was ordered to serve forty-five days in jail with the balance of twelve months suspended, plus two years of probation. Attorney General Kelly Ayotte said, "Protecting the elderly and the vulnerable is a priority for my Office. We actively work with health care providers to prevent this sort of abuse and we vigorously prosecute it when it does occur."