A woman who worked in the critical care unit of St. Charles Medical Center-Bend pleaded guilty to felony forgery and identity theft charges on Friday in exchange for a prosecution agreement to drop six other counts against her.

Cindy Lou Leigh, 36, who appeared in Deschutes County Circuit Court wearing shackles, will face sentencing and a hearing on a probation violation on April 19. Judge Michael Adler ordered that the woman remain in jail.

Leigh, wearing dark blue Deschutes County jail clothing, told Adler that she understood the agreement reached between prosecutors and her attorney.

”Yes sir, I do,” she said, speaking softly.

In exchange for the plea, prosecutors agreed to drop five other counts of identity theft and one count of committing a computer crime, according to the plea agreement.

A Deschutes County grand jury indicted Leigh on March 9, accusing her of falsifying information to obtain her nursing license. She worked at the Bend hospital for eight months.

Leigh’s attorney, Kirsten Thompson, declined to comment on her client’s plea after the brief hearing.

Leigh’s nursing license was suspended by the Oregon State Nursing Board on Feb. 12. She has been on probation since she was convicted of identity theft in a previous case earlier this year for attempting to get a mortgage loan using the personal information of a doctor.

Leigh also submitted falsified documents regarding her status as a nurse in Oregon to obtain a license in the Canadian province of Alberta, according to an investigation by the Oregon Nursing Board.

Leigh worked at hospitals in Eugene, Coquille and in Texas before taking the job at St. Charles.

Each of the two felony charges that Leigh pleaded guilty to carries a maximum five-year sentence and a $125,000 fine.

Chris Barker can be reached at 541-617-7829 or at cbarker@bendbulletin.com.