Cops on an OD call arrested nurse & girlfriend on drug charges

A Montgomery County nurse called police to her home last month because her girlfriend was so high on drugs that it altered her mental state, authorities said yesterday. But the nurse, Shannon Zimmerman, forgot to hide the pills she allegedly had stolen from work.

Zimmerman, 24, a nurse at Eagleville Hospital, which provides treatment for patients suffering from substance-abuse disorders and mental illness, was arraigned yesterday on multiple drug counts.

On Sept. 12, Zimmerman called 9-1-1 because her girlfriend had just injected heroin and cocaine into her own neck and back, and Zimmerman felt she needed medical attention, according to the Montgomery County District Attorney's Office.

When police arrived at Zimmerman's Royersford apartment, they saw a marijuana pipe with pot residue on it, multiple syringes with exposed needles and a small baggie that contained an off-white substance believed to be cocaine.

When EMS workers arrived, Zimmerman's girlfriend, Gabrielle Gerold, 21, a former Eagleville patient, refused treatment, prosecutors said. A warrant was issued for Gerold for similar charges.

When police interviewed the couple, both said they were injecting cocaine into their necks and backs. After Zimmerman allowed police to search the apartment, officials said the nurse admitted she had taken a large number of the 700 pills that police found from the hospital. She told authorities that it was common for workers to "stash" extra pills intended for discharged patients.

Eagleville Hospital's chief executive, Maureen Pollock, said in a statement that the hospital has been "fully cooperating" with police since being notified of the incident. "We took immediate action and we intend to continue cooperation with police," she said.