A captain with Polk County Fire Rescue has been arrested and charged with stealing three doses of COVID19 vaccine intended for first responders. Polk County Sheriff’s Office is reporting that Captain Anthony Damiano stole the doses with the assistance of Paramedic Josh Colon in order to give to his mother, who is elderly and sick.
Colon reportedly left the doses in a location from which Captain Damiano took them. Polk County Sheriff Grady Judge was quoted by CBSNews as explaining:
- There were three syringes with three doses of the vaccine that Joshua Colon put in a plastic bag, put in a special refrigerator and sealed it.
- So he left, take a break, and when he came back, voila! The seal’s broken, and the vaccinations are gone.
Captain Damiano turned himself in to the Polk County Sheriff’s Office yesterday. He is facing two charges, one a felony for falsifying an official record and the other a misdemeanor for petit theft. Colon was arrested Tuesday and charged with falsifying vaccine screening and consent forms. Colon was recently honored as paramedic of the year.