A former Boulder Community Hospital surgical nurse caught stealing patients’ pain medication, recounted a difficult childhood and battle with depression in federal court Friday, then apologized to his victims before being sentenced to 4 ½ years in prison.
Ashton Daigle, who faced a life sentence after being charged in 2008 with 109 counts of federal crimes, pleaded guilty in June to six felonies. He’ll begin serving his sentence April 5.
After his release from federal prison, Daigle must serve three years of supervised probation and participate in addiction treatment programs.
Before sentencing, Daigle wrote a letter to the court, recounting in part how he lived for a time on the street as a child and how his mother, who was addicted to drugs, abandoned him.
In 2006, the then-25-year-old Lafayette nurse, who said he always struggled with depression, learned that his 7-year-old daughter was not his biological child when the girl’s mother ordered a paternity test.
At the same time, Daigle said, he started taking pain medication for kidney stones and realized the drugs helped him feel better physically and emotionally.
“I was around pain medication all day and the temptation was too great,” Daigle, now 28, told U.S. District Court Judge Marcia Krieger, in explaining why he stole patients’ pain medication.
Krieger said she considered both the horrific nature of Daigle’s offense and his willingness to cooperate with investigators in reaching her sentence.
“His offense is inexcusable, reprehensible and knowledgeable, and what is particularly troubling is that he knew the risks and the pain he was causing,” Krieger said during the sentencing hearing.
“But he never denied that he’s accountable for his actions, and he deserves a great deal of credit for that.”
Due to Daigle’s willingness to tell investigators everything about his crimes — including that he sometimes replaced the drugs with tap water using dirty needles — detectives were able to fully investigate the public health risks and warn potential victims.
After learning of his sentence, Daigle dried his eyes and thanked the judge for her compassion.
Daigle then apologized to the judge and to his victims.
