A nurse who was arrested at a Wildwood gas station with unprescribed Xanax and Oxycodone that she said she got from coworkers has had her license suspended, just under six months after she pled “nolo contendere” to drug possession charges.
On Wednesday, State Surgeon General Joseph A. Ladapo issued an emergency suspension order for the license of Tonya Barrett, of Wildwood, for pleading no contest to drug charges in March.
The suspension by the Florida Department of Health this week comes nearly two years after Barrett was arrested outside of a Circle K/Kangaroo Express gas station in Wildwood.
According to an arrest affidavit filed in Sumter County, on Sept. 11, 2022, a Wildwood Police Department officer responded to the gas station at 10571 N U.S. Hwy 301 in reference to a woman who was “seemingly erratic, causing an employee of the business to worry about her safety.”
The officer arrived at the scene just after 1 a.m. and made contact with Barrett, who was slumped over in the driver’s seat of her vehicle.
The report notes that Barrett was “able to wake up but continued to nod off and fall asleep” throughout her conversation with the officer.
Despite denying that she had used narcotics or had any narcotics in her possession, a K-9 sniff for narcotics in the vehicle turned up several positive alerts.
During a subsequent search of the vehicle, 10 round pills that were a mix of Oxycodone Hydrochloride and Acetaminophen were found.
Additionally, three rectangular pills that were later identified as Alprazolam were also found in the vehicle.
After she was read her rights, Barrett disclosed that she had “trouble sleeping” and was going to take the pills to “aid her with” sleeping, according to the affidavit.
Barrett also told the officer that she received the pills “from co-workers while on shift,” according to the original arrest affidavit.
In March, Barrett entered a plea of “nolo contendere” to one count of possession of alprazolam and one count of “general drug possession.” Both charges are felony offenses.
For her plea, Barrett was sentenced to 80 hours of community service and was placed on probation for 18 months.
The State Surgeon General’s order says that Barrett’s license is “immediately suspended” and that a proceeding seeking “formal discipline” of her license will be “promptly instituted and acted upon.” No additional details were provided regarding when those proceedings will take place.
According to FLDOH records, Barrett’s license expired in May 2023. That license was issued in October 2022.
