A West Pierce Fire and Rescue paramedic is under arrest, accused of stealing narcotic painkillers from the medic units in his department.
Deputies arrested the nine-year veteran Thursday after a month-long investigation.
Staff started noticing that caps to the vials of fentanyl were loose or were off completely back in February. The vials were kept in vault boxes in each of the medic units throughout the department.
They sent the vials back to the drug maker, who tested the liquid and found that the drug had been replaced with saline, a harmless liquid. That's when the fire department informed authorities of the theft.
The paramedic had earned the merit award and the valor award, the department's highest honor, for rescuing a man from a burning man on the freeway.
KING 5 is not naming him because he has not yet been charged with a crime. He's expected to make a court appearance next week.
