A paramedic responsible for administering COVID-19 vaccine doses to firefighters in Polk County, Fla., was arrested Jan. 25 in connection with the theft of vaccine doses, according to The New York Times.
Earlier this month, Joshua Colon could not account for three doses of Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine, which he allegedly initially claimed had been discarded. Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd claims Mr. Colon later falsified vaccine screening and consent forms to cover up that the doses had been stolen, according to the report.
The missing doses were allegedly removed from a refrigerator by a fire captain, one of Mr. Colon's supervisors. Authorities said the fire captain, who is expected to face criminal charges, had previously asked Mr. Colon to help him get the vaccine for his mother, according to the report.
David Carmichael, a lawyer for Mr. Colon, told The Tampa Bay Times that Mr. Colon tried to alert the Polk County Fire Rescue chief when he found the vaccines were missing, but the chief was out of town.
"Mr. Colon deeply regrets his weakness in failing to alert the Chain of Command to the theft of the vaccine, accepts responsibility for his error in covering up the theft, and in an effort to protect the reputation of his agency, has resigned his position," Mr. Carmichael said in an email to The Tampa Bay Times.