A former Asante nurse charged with 44 counts of second-degree assault on accusations she allegedly harmed patients by swapping prescription pain medication IVs with non-sterile tap water has posted bail a little over one week after her arrest by Medford police.

Dani Marie Schofield, 36, was seen entering the lobby from a restricted area of the Jackson County Jail just after 10:40 a.m. Friday. Schofield was wearing dark sunglasses, a sweatsuit and slippers, carrying a plastic bag of personal belongings as she greeted two men who had been waiting for at least an hour prior to her appearance.

After embracing both for several long moments, Schofield was led out between the two men and quietly walked to a pickup truck parked along West 8th Street. Asked if she wanted to offer comment, Schofield and the two men only stared ahead, the younger of the two men rubbing her back as they walked away.

Jackson County Sheriff’s Office spokesman Aaron Lewis confirmed Friday morning that a wire transfer for $400,000 — 10% of her $4 million bail — had been processed through the Jackson County Circuit Court.

Following Schofield’s release Friday morning, an update to circuit court records included a notice of representation, timestamped Thursday afternoon. Schofield is being represented in her criminal case by Kristen Winemiller and Lisa Maxfield of Pacific Northwest Law of Portland.

Schofield’s arrest last Thursday at a residence outside Eagle Point marked a major development in the high-profile drug-diversion case that began in December 2023. Asante officials reached out to the Medford Police Department after conducting its own internal investigation into a spike in central line infections at Rogue Regional Medical Center. Medford police handed the results of its investigation over to the DA’s office in late April.

Last Friday, Schofield pleaded not guilty during her arraignment before Jackson County Circuit Court Judge Laura Cromwell.

During Schofield’s first court appearance, Cromwell set bail at $4 million and advised Schofield that, if she posted bail, her release would come with stipulations: She cannot consume intoxicants; have contact with surviving Asante victims, or Asante or its property except for emergency services; or provide care to anyone 65 or older, or who has a disability.

On Tuesday, family members of three alleged victims — former patients of Schofield’s who all died after developing life-threatening infections — contacted the Rogue Valley Times saying they had been notified by victim advocates for the Jackson County Circuit Court just after 3 p.m. that Schofield was expected to post bail and be released Tuesday evening.

Courts were closed on Wednesday for Juneteenth with Schofield still being held in solitary confinement, which she explained to Cromwell during her arraignment was for her safety from other inmates, and because Medford police had publicly identified her following her arrest. Finalization of the bond money took three days from Tuesday’s wire transfer initialization.

Victims and attorneys representing alleged victims or families of victims expressed a range of emotions, from disappointment to anger, at being told that Schofield was being released.

Shawn Porter, of Phoenix, Arizona, learned in December that his 71-year-old mother, Klamath Falls resident Roberta Porter, had died a year earlier, in December 2022, after a hospital nurse swapped her pain medication with tap water.

Porter voiced frustration this week that Schofield’s charges were listed as assault, rather than murder or manslaughter, and that it took nearly a year for her to be arrested after she left Asante. In the months leading up to Schofield’s arrest, Porter checked the jail’s inmate list daily, he said.

Porter was notified by victim advocates for the circuit court just after 3 p.m. Tuesday that Schofield “will be posting bail,” Porter said. When he asked if Schofield would be required to wear an ankle monitor to prevent her from leaving the area, Porter was shocked to learn that electronic monitoring for Schofield was unlikely.

“I understand the right to post bail, but it’s very disappointing. If she’s not required to wear a monitoring device, that’s unacceptable,” Porter said Wednesday.

“I do find it interesting that she had the gall to request a public defender yet had access to the funds to cough up $400,000 for bail.”

David deVilleneuve, of Shlesinger & deVilleneuve, said his firm received several calls on Tuesday from clients who were also contacted by circuit court victim advocates and informed that Schofield would soon be released.

DeVilleneuve said his firm plans to file just under 30 civil cases related to the drug-diversion case. Some of deVilleneuve’s clients were listed as victims in Schofield’s indictment, some were not. Chief Deputy District Attorney Patrick Green, the lead prosecutor, said the charges listed in the indictment, which span July 2022 to July 2023 — each connected to a different alleged victim and incident date — “represent the charges that the evidence can support in a criminal proceeding.”

On Tuesday evening, deVilleneuve watched for updates on Schofield’s status on the jail website. Some of his clients were “in tears,” he told the Times.

DeVilleneuve shared his clients’ frustrations with Schofield’s charges — that she is only accused of assault — and with the length of time the former nurse continued to work at the Medford hospital after a spike in infections became apparent.

“On behalf of my clients, we demand justice and accountability. How could Asante let this go on for so long, affecting so many people?” he said.

“There are so many safeguards in place to keep this from happening. These safeguards were not being followed as is required by industry standards and by laws governing the administration of pain medications.”

Additional background from June 13 by reporter Aimee Green, The Oregonian/OregonLive, on the case.