Anthony Damiano, captain of the Polk County Fire Rescue, allegedly took three syringes containing doses of Moderna’s vaccine, with the intention of giving doses to his elderly mother, according to a prison statement.
Damiano surrendered on Wednesday afternoon, according to the deposition.
He was accused of petty theft and of making someone else falsify official records as a civil servant. He was released on bail from Polk County Jail, according to prison records.
CNN tried unsuccessfully to contact him for comment.
Damiano is the second person arrested in this case. Earlier this week, paramedic Joshua Colon was arrested for his alleged role in falsifying vaccine tests and consent forms that authorities say “created the circumstance” that led to the theft.
According to the testimony, Colon told investigators that Damiano “teased him” about getting some doses for his mother, telling the paramedic that he could report them as “waste”.
Colon says that when he refused to give the vaccine, Damiano threatened to “tell his supervisors that Colon is selling vaccines outside of work,” according to the sheriff’s deposition.
“Colon said he was scared by Captain Damiano’s position at the agency,” says the statement.
Damiano ordered Colon to take a break, and when he returned to the station, three doses of the vaccine were missing from the refrigerator where it was stored, Colon said to investigators.
Colon then “invented the false stories and documents” to explain the missed doses, Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd told a news conference on Tuesday.
Colon’s lawyer, David R. Carmichael, told CNN in a statement that Colon “encountered a very difficult situation when a supervisor demanded that Colon provide unauthorized doses of the Covid vaccine for use by the supervisor’s family.”
Colon “deeply regrets his weakness for not alerting the chain of command about the vaccine theft,” said Carmichael.
Two of the doses were later found in Damiano’s car, according to the deposition. They were no longer viable, according to Robert Weech, Polk County’s rescue chief.
Damiano’s mother told investigators that her son was trying to help her get vaccinated, according to the statement. She said she did not get the vaccine and believed that he “was trying to help her get the vaccine legally”.
Damiano resigned from Polk County Fire Rescue before surrendering to the authorities, according to Chris Jonckheer, a department spokesman.
Colon also resigned, Weech said earlier this week.