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Nurse In Meds Theft Case Is No-Show Because Of Treatment

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO/AP) -- The former Minnesota nurse accused of stealing painkillers from a patient before surgery is receiving drug addiction treatment.

Thirty-three-year-old Sarah May Casareto of Forest Lake was scheduled to make her first court appearance Tuesday. But she was not in court, according to Santo Cruz from the Hennepin County Attorney's Office.

Her lawyer said Casareto is receiving drug addiction treatment.

Last week, Casareto was charged with theft of a controlled substance. She's accused of taking some of the painkiller intended for a patient before kidney stone surgery at Abbott Northwestern Hospital in Minneapolis last November, telling the patient to "man up."

Casareto has denied the allegation. The St. Paul Pioneer Press reports her attorney declined comment after the hearing.

The judge continued the hearing until March 22.

(TM and © Copyright 2011 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2011 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

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