A Florida paramedic praised just a few weeks ago that the best in his field was arrested for his role in stealing three doses of coronavirus vaccine, sheriff’s officials said.
Joshua Colon, a 31-year-old paramedic and training officer for Polk County firefighters, was arrested Monday on charges of forgery, forgery, committing a false instrument and criminal use of a personal identity card, sheriff’s officials said. .
Colon, who resigned on Friday, allegedly helped a captain steal three doses of the Modern COVID-19 vaccine and then falsified screening and consent forms. He later told detectives that he had been instructed to do so by his supervisor – who “joked” with him that day about getting vaccines for his mother, according to an arrest statement.
An investigation is underway into the alleged role of Supervisor Colon in theft, according to the Polk County Sheriff’s Office.
But Polk County Fire Rescue Captain Anthony Damiano will also be arrested when he returns from a California mission, the Tampa Bay Times reported, citing a news conference with Sheriff Grady Judd on Tuesday. and fire chief Robert Weech.
Less than two weeks before his arrest, Colon was honored as the 2020 Paramedic of the Year by a group of local nonprofit civic clubs for outstanding community service, including his actions during a severe multi-vehicle wreck. on a state highway.
Colon was charged with an investigation into his alleged actions on January 6, while administering vaccines to first responders at a Davenport fire station.
Colon later admitted to falsifying the papers during an interview with deputies on Monday, saying he used the identities of two firefighters and a fictitious name on the screening and consent forms – which he signed, the statement said.
Judd said Tuesday that Colon told investigators that Damiano had asked him to take doses of vaccine for Damiano’s mother. Colon refused at first, but his supervisor threatened to tell the department that he would sell doses while off duty, according to an arrest statement.
Later that day, Damiano ordered Colon to take a lunch break, and the paramedic noticed three missing vaccines on his return, authorities said.
“Colon advised that he did not ask his supervisor questions about the missing vaccines, however, he immediately became a suspect,” the statement continued. “Colon did not report this incident to anyone in the Polk County Fire Department.”
Colon later admitted to falsifying three consent forms associated with the vaccines, using fake email addresses and a fictitious name in the process. He was released from custody after being released on bail, sheriff’s officials said.
Damiano, a 17-year-old veterinarian, is likely to face charges of theft and misconduct when he returns to Florida, the Tampa Bay Times reported.
Judd said Colon called Damiano from his attorney’s office while deputies monitored the call, and the captain said the missing doses were in a car parked outside a friend’s house in St. Louis. Cloud.
Two of the recovered doses are no longer usable, while a third has not been found, the newspaper reported.
“The bottom line is that Joshua tried to cover up the captain,” Judd told reporters Tuesday. “Joshua determined the circumstances for the vaccines to be stolen. If Joshua had simply gone to his boss right then, he would have been the hero. Instead, he began to falsify the papers, forming people who did not exist to cover them.