A nearly five-month police investigation into alleged drug diversion by a former nurse at Asante Rogue Regional Medical Center could go down as the “biggest case” ever handled by the Jackson County District Attorney’s Office, according to the chief deputy DA.

The DA’s office announced last Thursday that Medford police had concluded its investigation into “theft and misuse of controlled substances by a former Asante nurse that resulted in infections in multiple patients.”

In an interview Monday with the Rogue Valley Times, Chief Deputy DA Patrick Green acknowledged the importance of the case — which he called “expansive” — and the sense of urgency in the community to see it moving along.

Green said his office learned of the investigation in early December, about the same time as Medford police. A candidate in the May 21 primary to replace District Attorney Beth Heckert, who is retiring, Green said the case would be “the largest the valley has seen.”

Police handed over tens of thousands of documents and dozens of witness interviews last week.

“It’s on par with the most complex of murder investigations and murder prosecutions,” Green said.

While neither Asante officials nor Medford police have publicly named a suspect and no arrests have been made, 36-year-old Medford RN Dani Marie Schofield was identified in a civil suit filed Feb. 26 by Idiart Law Group in Central Point on behalf of the estate of 65-year-old Horace “Buddy” Wilson.

Wilson died Feb. 25, 2022, the suit alleges, after Schofield repeatedly swapped prescribed fentanyl with non-sterile tap water administered through Wilson’s bloodstream via his central line, according to court documents.

The suit seeks $11.5 million in damages. It was the first to be filed among what local law firms anticipate will be dozens brought against Asante.

Schofield’s RN license was suspended in November and expired in April.

Prior to the case filed by Idiart, the Times interviewed several families who said they were contacted by Asante officials in December and were told that their loved ones became ill, or died, after a hospital nurse replaced patients’ pain medication with tap water.

The interviews establish a timeline of infections occurring between November 2022 and July 2023, though Idiart and Medford attorney David deVilleneuve both said they have reviewed infections that occurred even earlier.

A marketing firm tasked with responding to media requests regarding the investigation, and that asked that the firm not be identified, declined to comment Wednesday.

Green, a prosecutor since 2016, said he would serve as lead prosecutor on the case with two senior prosecutors serving as co-counsel. Three prosecutors being assigned to one case, he noted, has never happened in his time with the DA’s office.

Green declined to comment on the number of victims impacted by the alleged drug diversion, or on how many survived and how many did not, but said he hoped to “decide whether there is sufficient evidence to file criminal charges” as quickly as possible.

“I shared the public’s concern about this case since I first heard about it, when I was briefed about it. Now that the investigation is done, I want to make a decision as quickly as I can, because I think the public should expect that,” Green said.

“Not that we would rush to judgement, and not that it won’t be a well-considered decision, but I think it shouldn’t just be left lingering in the air. I think that is when people get anxiety, and they start to wonder what’s going on.”

Green said reports of the investigation had impacted the community in a number of ways, including an erosion of trust in local healthcare.

“It’s a really sad case because you expect, when you go to the hospital or when your family member goes to the hospital, that they’re going to be safe and taken care of in the right way,” he said.

Green was unable to offer a timeline or additional details, other than to say that the case is a priority.

“This is one of those cases that (is) so complex we want to make sure all the t’s are crossed and the i’s are dotted,” he said.

“And I think people should want that.”