'Paramedic of the Year' Charged With Vaccine Theft

Joshua Colon, Florida's 2020 "Paramedic of the Year," was charged this week for his role in the theft of three Moderna Covid-19 vaccine doses.The Polk County paramedic resigned from his position on January 22 and was arrested on Monday. He is currently facing charges for misconduct, fraud, and forgery after falsifying paperwork that he used to cover up his vaccine theft. According to Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd, authorities noticed that were significant "discrepancies" and "total confusion" on three of Colon's vaccine recipient forms. The paramedic, who had been tasked with administering the vaccine to Polk County first responders, eventually admitted that he had used false names on the forms for "fraudulent" and "wrong" reasons.Colon initially stated that he had administered 28 vaccines and reported two were waste, but soon retracted himself and said that he had actually administered 27 vaccines and three were waste. However, when the paramedic's recipient log reported the administration of 23 vaccines but only 21 forms were provided, Colon created false paperwork with information belonging to two existing firefighters and one fake person. Colon told authorities that his actions were driven by the threatening influence of his supervisor, Polk County Fire Rescue Captain Anthony Damiano. According to Colon, Damiano allegedly joked with the paramedic about using the county's vaccine supply for mother. After Colon refused to fulfill his request, Damiano threatened him. The "Paramedic of the Year" also stated that after their tense exchange, Damiano ordered him to take a break. When Colon returned, he found that three pre-filled vaccine syringes had disappeared from a sealed bag in the refrigerator. Despite his suspicions, a statement from the Polk County Sheriff's Office affirms that, "Colon did not report this incident to anyone within Polk County Fire Rescue." Instead, the paramedic forged the three vaccine forms. The Polk County Sheriff's Office has confirmed that the investigation is ongoing and that authorities are looking into the role that Damiano played in the theft.