A Florida paramedic praised a few weeks ago that the best in his field has been arrested for his role in the theft of three doses of the coronavirus vaccine, sheriff’s officials said.
Joshua Colon, a 31-year-old paramedic and Polk County Fire Rescue training officer, was arrested Monday on charges such as forgery, official misconduct, utterance of a false instrument and criminal use of a police document. personal identity, sheriff’s officials announced Tuesday.
Colon, who resigned Friday, allegedly helped a captain steal three doses of Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine and then falsified detection and consent forms. He later told detectives that his supervisor told him he did it “jokingly” that day to get vaccines for his mother, according to an affidavit of arrest.
According to the Polk County Sheriff’s Office, the alleged role of Colon’s supervisor in the robbery is being investigated.
But Polk County Fire Rescue Captain Anthony Damiano will also be arrested when he returns from a job assignment in California, the Tampa Bay Times reported, citing a news conference Tuesday with Sheriff Grady Judd and fire rescue chief Robert Weech.
Less than two weeks before his arrest, Colon was awarded 2020 Paramedic of the Year by a group of nonprofit civic clubs for exceptional service to the community, including his actions during a serious multiple vehicle wreck on a state highway.
Colon was charged after an investigation into his alleged January 6 actions while administering vaccines to first responders at a Davenport fire station.
Colon later admitted to falsifying the paperwork during an interview with deputies on Monday, saying he used the identities of two firefighters and a fictitious name on the verification and consent forms, which he signed, according to the affidavit.
Judd said Tuesday that Colon told investigators Damiano asked him to take doses of vaccine for Damiano’s mother. Colon initially refused, but his supervisor threatened to tell the department he was selling doses while he was off duty, according to an affidavit of arrest.
Later that day, Damiano ordered Colon to take a lunch break and the paramedic noticed three shots when they returned, authorities said.
“Colon advised that he did not question his supervisor in reference to the missing vaccines, but he was immediately suspected,” the affidavit continues. “Colon did not report this incident to anyone within Polk County Fire Rescue.”
Colon subsequently admitted to falsifying three consent forms associated with the vaccines, using fake email addresses and a fictitious name in the process. He has been released on bail, sheriff’s officials said.
Damiano, a 17-year-old department veterinarian, will likely face charges of theft and official misconduct when he returns to Florida, the Tampa Bay Times reported.
Judd said Colon phoned Damiano from his lawyer’s office while deputies monitored the call and the captain said the missing doses were in a car parked in front of a friend’s house in St. Louis. Cloud.
Two of the recovered doses can no longer be used, while the third was not found, the newspaper reported.
“The bottom line is that Joshua tried to cover up the captain,” Judd told reporters Tuesday. “Joshua set up the circumstance for the vaccines to be stolen. If Joshua had just gone to his head at the time, he would have been the hero. Instead, he began to falsify procedures, inventing people who did not exist to cover them up. “