WakeMed arrests employee on drug charges

RALEIGH -- An investigation into bootleg DVD trafficking led to the arrest of a WakeMed employee for drug possession.

WakeMed Raleigh campus police arrested patient observation assistant William Riley Daughtry, 29, on Wednesday. He was charged with trafficking 28 grams or more of opium as well as possession of marijuana, drug paraphernalia and more than 100 unauthorized recording devices, according to his arrest warrant.

Hospital spokeswoman Debbie Laughery said the hospital fired him immediately. She also said the specific opiate he was caught with was oxycodone, but it was the illegal DVDs that lead to his arrest.

“We have a really strong culture of corporate compliance at the hospital. If an employee sees something they don’t think is right, they are encouraged to report it,” Laughery said.

The DVDs were recovered in his possession at the hospital. Laughery said the drugs were recovered elsewhere and there is no evidence he had them in the hospital.