A Florida paramedic praised just a few weeks ago as the best in his field was arrested for his role in stealing three doses of the coronavirus vaccine, sheriff officials said.
Joshua Colon, a 31-year-old paramedic and training officer at Polk County Fire Rescue, was arrested on Monday on charges that included forgery, official misconduct, use of a counterfeit instrument and criminal use of personal identity, sheriff officials announced. on Tuesday.
Colon, who resigned on Friday, allegedly helped a captain steal three doses of Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine and then forged tracking and consent forms. He later told detectives that he was instructed to do this by his supervisor – who “played” with him that day to get his mother vaccinations, shows a statement of arrest.
An investigation is underway into the alleged role of Colon’s supervisor in the theft, according to the Polk County Sheriff’s Office.
But Polk County Rescue captain Anthony Damiano will also be arrested when he returns from a work mission in California, the Tampa Bay Times reported, citing a news conference held on Tuesday by Sheriff Grady Judd and the head of the rescue , Robert Weech.
Less than two weeks before his arrest, Colon was honored as the 2020 “Paramedic of the Year” by a group of local non-profit civic clubs for his excellent service to the community, including his actions during a serious multi-vehicle accident in a state highway.
Colon was charged after an investigation into his alleged actions on January 6, while administering vaccines to a fire department in Davenport.
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 screening and consent forms – which he signed, shows the statement.
Judd said on Tuesday that Colon told investigators that Damiano asked him to get doses of vaccine for Damiano’s mother. Colon declined at first, but his supervisor threatened to tell department heads that he was selling doses when he was out of service, shows a statement of arrest.
Later that day, Damiano ordered Colon to take his lunch break and the paramedic realized that three vaccines were missing when he returned, officials said.
“Colon warned that he did not question his supervisor regarding the missing vaccines, however, he immediately suspected,” the statement continues. “Colon did not report this incident to anyone within Polk County Fire Rescue.”
Colon later admitted forging three consent forms associated with vaccines, using fake e-mail addresses and a fictitious name in the process. He was released from custody after paying bail, officials said.
Damiano, a 17-year-old veterinarian in the department, is likely to face official charges of theft and misconduct when he returns to Florida, the Tampa Bay Times reported.
Judd said Colon called Damiano from his law firm while deputies monitored the call and the captain said the missed doses were in a car parked in front of a friend’s home in St. Cloud.
Two of the recovered doses are no longer usable, while the third has not been found, the newspaper reported.
“The end result is that Joshua tried to cover up the captain,” Judd told reporters on Tuesday. “Joshua set up the circumstance for the vaccines to have been stolen. If Joshua had simply gone to speak to his boss at that moment, he would have been the hero. Instead, he began to fake the paperwork, inventing people who didn’t exist to cover it up. “