Prosecutors have withdrawn charges against a registered nurse who acknowledged drinking four or five beers in the hours before assisting an operation at a veterans' hospital in Pennsylvania.
Luzerne County District Attorney Stefanie Salavantis said Tuesday that she expected the case against 59-year-old Richard Pieri to continue at the federal level. She did not elaborate. Pieri's attorney declined comment.
Authorities allege that Pieri stumbled into the Wilkes-Barre VA Medical Center 4 before the emergency surgery. Prosecutors said he told investigators that he had forgotten he was on call that night and had been drinking at the Mohegan Sun Pocono casino when he was summoned for the emergency operation.
Pieri resigned earlier this month after he was charged with reckless endangerment, driving under the influence and public drunkenness.
