This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2013, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

Prosecutors have charged an assisted-living facility director in Holladay for giving dead residents' medication to the surviving ones.

Cheryl Uzzell, 70, was charged Tuesday in 3rd District Court with one count of second-degree felony production of a controlled substance and one count of third-degree felony distribution of a controlled substance.

In October, a Unified police officer went to Alta Ridge Communities' Holladay location, at 1009 E. Murray-Holladay Blvd., and asked Uzzell about complaints that she had been retaining and redistributing dead residents' medication.

Uzzell denied it at first, but later admitted that she and her head nurse treated people with those medications, though not often, according to the charges.

She also showed the officer records falsely indicating that the dead residents' medication had been destroyed. But Uzzell kept the medication — including Lorazepam, Fentanyl and morphine — in her locked desk drawer, according to the charges.

As of Tuesday evening, Uzzell was still listed as executive director of the home on the company website.

Twitter: @mikeypanda