An emergency worker in Florida was arrested this week in connection with stealing doses of the coronavirus vaccine, just 12 days after he was recognized as the county’s “paramedic of the year”, officials said on Tuesday.
Paramedic, Joshua Colon, 31, was responsible for administering doses of the vaccine to firefighters in Polk County, the county sheriff, Grady Judd, told a news conference.
But earlier this month, Colon failed to count three of the doses of the Moderna vaccine, which officials said he initially claimed to have been discarded. When Colon was pressured about missed doses by a battalion chief, he falsified vaccine screening and consent forms with two false names and the name of a retired fireman, Sheriff Judd said.
The missed doses were taken illegally from a refrigerator by one of Colon’s supervisors, a fire captain, who told Colon to go out for his break, according to the sheriff. The firefighter captain, who is expected to face criminal charges for the theft of the vaccine, had previously asked Colon if he could help him get the vaccine for his mother, officials said.
Sheriff Judd said his office, which arrested Colon on Monday, takes the sacred trust of emergency workers very seriously. Colon resigned on the day of his arrest, officials said.
“We have a question for them,” said Sheriff Judd. “What were you thinking about? Did you only have three brain cells? “
Colon’s lawyer David Carmichael did not immediately respond to requests for comment Tuesday night. But he told The Tampa Bay Times that Colon initially tried to bring the theft to the attention of the Polk County Fire Department chief, but the chief was out of town. That’s when he tried to cover up the theft, Carmichael told the newspaper.
“Sir. Colon deeply regrets his weakness in not alerting the chain of command about vaccine theft, accepts responsibility for his mistake in covering up the theft and, in an effort to protect his agency’s reputation, resigned his position,” he said. Carmichael said in an email to the newspaper.
Colon was charged with 16 criminal charges, which included forgery, forgery of medical records, official misconduct and the creation of fictitious personal identification, according to the sheriff’s office.
“Josh Colon was a trusted employee,” Robert Weech, chief of Polk County Fire Rescue, told a news conference. “I consider that outside his character. He made some serious mistakes. “
Authorities could not say whether Colon was under pressure from his supervisor to cover up the theft.
“I don’t think he benefited in any way,” said Chief Weech.
The chief noted that Colon was honored on January 13 by a group of civic organizations as the “paramedic of the year” for 2019 and 2020, and for his response to a serious multi-vehicle accident on a local highway. Polk County is in Central Florida, between Tampa and Orlando.
On his Facebook page, Polk County Fire Rescue posted photos at the time of a plaque presenting the tribute.
“It is a matter of public trust,” Chief Weech said on Tuesday. “We take this seriously.”