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A Florida paramedic named the top in the state recently is accused of working with a supervisor to steal COVID-19 vaccines
During a Tuesday press conference, Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said Joshua Colon was arrested Monday and charged with felony counts of uttering a false instrument, criminal use of personal identification, creating a fictitious person and falsifying an official record as a public servant, The Associated Press reports. Colon, 31, had resigned from Polk County Fire Rescue just days before his arrest.
A Polk County fire captain allegedly had asked Colon to take the vaccine. The captain is on a work assignment in California, and he will be arrested when he returns to Florida, Judd said.
“The bottom line is, Joshua tried to cover for the captain,” Judd said. “Joshua set up the circumstance for the vaccines to have been stolen. Had Joshua simply gone to his boss right then, he’d have been the hero. Instead, he started falsifying paperwork, making up people who didn’t exist to cover it up.”
According to authorities, Colon had been helping to give COVID-19 vaccines for Polk County Fire Rescue, which had been inoculating first responders. On Jan. 6, Colon forged vaccine screening and consent forms to hide the theft of three Moderna vaccine vials, each containing 10 doses.
A battalion chief initially noticed inconsistencies in Colon's vaccine paperwork, and an investigation was started. Investigators discovered that three falsified forms were part of Colon's Jan. 6 paperwork.
Deputies have recovered two of the stolen vials. One vial still has not been found.
Colon was awarded Paramedic of the Year earlier this month from a group of Lakeland civic clubs. He received the honor for his work during a highway accident.
