St. Augustine paramedic arrested, accused of stealing pain killers

ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. — A former St. Johns County first responder was arrested this week on suspicion of stealing narcotics from an ambulance.

The initial incident happened in April, but he was arrested this week and is facing two felony charges.

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Fire station 8 in St. Johns County is where Matthew Hooker was an employee.

The deputy chief, Jeremy Robshaw, said their current protocol help them uncover the alleged theft within hours.

First responders have a responsibility to serve and care for those who need it, but arrest documents show Hooker, a lieutenant for the St. Johns County Fire and Rescue, resigned after being accused of taking narcotics from an ambulance.

LeeAnn Colwell said this was a terrifying situation to learn about.

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“That is very scary to know if I have to go by an ambulance that somebody could possibly be high or on some type of drug trying to take care of me,” Colwell said.

Arrest documents show Hooker allegedly stole two doses of morphine while on the job and forged his crew member's signature as a witness.

“It’s a little scary to know that somebody out there in the medical field is doing something along those lines,” Cowell said.

Hooker faces two felony charges, one for theft of narcotics and another for forgery.

The president of the Jacksonville firefighters association, Randy Wyse, said that’s why organizations often put certain protocols in place to prevent this from happening.

“They’re counted for and double checked through the day. There’s logs and locks on the safe that they’re kept in,” Wyse said.

Documents show two calls were responded to the day this happened and no one was transported, so the public wasn’t in immediate danger. However, fire and rescue professionals in St.

Johns County said this is part of the reason drug test are given randomly.

“Hopefully he gets some help that he must need because obviously there’s a problem there,” Colwell said.

St. Johns County Fire and Rescue deputies said they don’t plan to change the current protocol because it works.

Cox Media Group