A Baltimore County paramedic who pleaded guilty to masturbating into his co-workers’ food and filming it was sentenced Tuesday to 25 years.

The sentence, which is just five years short of the maximum possible sentence he could receive, came two months after Christopher Carroll, 36, pleaded guilty to three counts of causing another person to ingest bodily fluid.

Baltimore County Circuit Judge Dennis Robinson Jr. said the case raised the question of who does something like this. “Christopher Carroll does,” he said.

“You didn’t just contaminate food and services,” Robinson said, “you shattered trust and camaraderie.”

Carroll was charged in February with 20 counts of causing another person to ingest bodily fluid and three counts of malicious destruction of property. Investigators said videos show him urinating and ejaculating on Baltimore County Fire Department property, including ejaculating onto air conditioning vents.

The discovery of the videos, some of which had been posted on social media, resulted in an investigation into Carroll’s conduct and hazmat cleaning at the county’s firehouses. The county spent roughly $263,000 on cleaning and new ice machines at all 25 of its professional fire stations and on certain floors of a public building in Towson.

Before receiving his sentence, Carroll apologized for betraying his co-workers’ trust. He said he was struggling and “gave in to temptation.”

“I wanted to be some sort of porn star,” he said, later adding, “I’m not a monster or a menace to society. I’m just a dumb man that made a horrible decision.”

A lasting effect

In August, Carroll pleaded guilty to urinating into an ice maker, ejaculating into a co-worker’s coffee creamer, and ejaculating onto his supervisor’s keyboard. As part of a plea agreement, prosecutors dropped the other charges he faced.

On Tuesday, his co-workers spoke in court about how Carroll’s actions have had a lasting effect on them, breaking down the trust they once had.

His supervisor said that before the discovery, her relationship with Carroll had been “positive” and “friendly.” Learning about his misconduct was a shock, she said.

She said a black light showed that the semen hadn’t only touched her keyboard, but had also touched her desk phone.

The supervisor talked about feeling betrayed by Carroll. She said that he had watched her use those items, all the while “chatting politely” with her.

Since the investigation, the supervisor said, she requires therapy and hasn’t been able to participate in lunches and parties at work.

Another fire department employee said she felt exploited and helpless after learning about Carroll’s actions. He knew the burdens that department members carry, she said, and he still chose to exploit them.

Baltimore County Deputy State’s Attorney Lisa Dever, who asked Robinson to sentence Carroll to 30 years with all but 20 years suspended, said the investigation into Carroll’s conduct began after a fire department employee found a social media account with a video of a paramedic in uniform, exposing his penis and walking toward an ice machine.

“It opened Pandora’s box,” Dever said, adding that more than 20 videos have since been recovered.

Dever asked the court to impose a sentence above the state guidelines, which range from probation to 18 months. She said the guidelines don’t consider “the breadth” of the case and the effect of Carroll’s actions.

‘So much more’

Seth Okin, Carroll’s attorney, said his client had a “great upbringing” and later joined the Maryland Army National Guard before getting honorably discharged and joining the fire department.

He said that around the time that all of this happened, Carroll separated from his wife and was struggling with his mental health. Okin said that between the separation from the mother of his children and the stress of work, his client was fighting depression and anxiety.

“Chris fell off,” Okin said, adding that at work, Carroll was getting called to devastating medical events and crime scenes.

Okin said his client is taking accountability and trying to better himself while in jail. “He’s so much more than what this is.”

Carroll’s father, Michael Carroll, said his son grew up wanting to help others and has always had a positive outlook. But his marriage and difficult career have affected the paramedic, the father said.

He said that his son’s personality changed in the month before everything happened and that he thinks a “psych issue” brought his son “to this point.”

Carroll said that since going to jail, he’s learned that inmates are treated less than human. He said that a lot of inmates have mental health needs that simply aren’t addressed.

“I need help,” he said. “I need to recover.”

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