Florida Keys paramedic is accused of stealing fentanyl from ambulance
A Florida Keys paramedic was arrested on an accusation of stealing fentanyl from an ambulance this month, the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office said.
Briand Keith Burt, 45, worked for the Islamorada Fire Rescue Department as a firefighter/paramedic when he took the partially used vial from the ambulance after a medical call, Adam Linhardt, the sheriff’s office spokesman, said.
The department’s ambulances carry fentanyl in case it is needed to treat pain.
The department notified the sheriff’s office about the incident on March 2, prompting the investigation, said Linhardt, who noted Burt no longer works for Islamorada Fire Rescue. The department’s chief did not immediately respond for a request for comments.
Burt was booked into the sheriff’s office main jail on Stock Island on Wednesday afternoon on a charge of grand theft of a controlled substance. A judge had not yet set his bond and information on his legal representation was not immediately available.
Linhardt said Burt forged another paramedic’s signature on documents related to disposal of the vial. Other crew members noticed discrepancies in the documentation, according to the sheriff’s office.
