Lindsey Coyle de Fort Frances agreed to renounce his license during a disciplinary hearing on Thursday by the Ontario governing body for nurses, three years after he declared himself guilty in the death of an old patient in 2015.
Coyle was a practical nurse registered at the La Verrye hospital. He declared himself guilty in 2022 of criminal negligence, causing the death of Hermina Fletcher, 76.
On Thursday, Coyle, 40, appeared by video at the audience of the College of Nurses of Ontario (CNO). He looked solemn, with a neck of the plain black crew and seemed to be looking down out of the screen several times.
The CNO says that its disciplinary process began after criminal procedures were resolved.
At the audience, Coyle declared himself guilty of professional misconduct in the way of abusing a patient, falsifying a record and participating in a behavior that members would reasonably consider as shameful, dishonorable or non -professional.
“I understand that everything I have to move on is what I deserve,” said Coyle, who has been on probation for a year.
She said that although imprisoned, she has had a lot of time to reflect on her choices and feels remorse.
Coyle also agreed to work as a nurse in any capacity. The CNO will prohibit re -apply for a nursing license in the province. If you try to register as a nurse in another jurisdiction, the CNO will inform the officials of Coyle’s disciplinary history.
In 2015, Coyle fraudulently changed a record to increase the dose of Fletcher morphine, then took the additional morphine for herself, heard the disciplinary panel. When the night nurse took over that night, that individual gave Fletcher the largest dose of morphine that Coyle had written. Overdose killed the patient.
“He implied a serious moral failure in [Coyle] Use your position of power and trust as a nurse to appropriate poor narcotics for your own personal benefit, “said CNO lawyer Denise Cooney, to the audience.
The hospital called the police after a suspicious robbery
In January 2015, La Verrye hospital called the police to inform theft along with a suspicious death, the Provincial Police of Ontario (OPP) Constant Petrina Taylor-Hertz told CBC in 2019.
That year, OPP’s long investigation led to charges against Coyle if second degree murder, criminal negligence caused death, theft, pronouncement of counterfeit documents and breach of trust.
In January 2024, Coyle was sentenced to two years in prison after his statement of criminal negligence causing death. The Court of Justice of Ontario in Kenora discovered that he had altered the Fletcher Medicines Administration Registry, which led to fatal overdose.
Coyle was also found responsible in a civil lawsuit. In 2024, she was Order to pay the assets of Fletcher $ 130.00 in damages.
Drug theft driven by addiction, they say court documents
Coyle admitted to having stolen drugs while fighting against addiction, said the agreed statement of facts read during the procedures of the criminal court in 2022.
“[Coyle] He admitted that he did what he needed to do to get the morphine he needed. She admitted having used a lot of morphine while I was at work and that would many times would be as high as a kite while working, “said a crown lawyer, reading the agreed statement of facts.
The Canada’s probation board gave Coyle Day Parole, which allows him to live in his home with his partner and children, on August 21, 2024.
In addition to a relapse with alcohol while being released on bail in 2020, Coyle has maintained sobriety, said Judge Robin Lepere in a August 2025 Case of the Superior Court related to the family law that involves Coyle.
“She has fulfilled all the conditions to date and hopes to be out of probation from January 2026,” Lepere said in his reasons of judgment.
It apologizes for the actions of ‘shame’ brought to the infirmary
On Thursday, Coyle told the CNO panel that he wanted to apologize to the university and his co -workers.
“I completely understand the distrust that has happened and the shame that I have brought about the community of nurses,” he said.
“I have gone through many things in the last 10 years and I spent a time in prison for this action.”
Coyle voluntarily delivered his registration certificate in 2016 after being suspended. His public registration will now specify that he resigned permanently after the findings of professional misconduct.
While the CNO also has the authority to revoke a certificate of registration of a nurse, the panel heard that the permanent voluntary resignation is the best stronger way to guarantee that someone never practices again in Ontario. Those who have their revoked licenses can re -request the membership, while those who accept to resign permanently cannot.
