Ex-Islamorada Paramedic Arrested for Stealing Fentanyl, Forging Records

Brian Keith Burt, 45, of Key Largo was arrested Wednesday after an internal review at Islamorada Fire Rescue uncovered a missing partially used vial of fentanyl from one of the department's ambulances, the Monroe County Sheriff's Office said.

Burt, who had been employed with Islamorada Fire Rescue as a firefighter/paramedic, faces charges of grand theft of a controlled substance and fraud. Authorities also describe the alleged conduct as falsifying public records. He no longer works for the department, according to Monroe County Sheriff's Office spokesman Adam Linhardt.

The case began to unravel after a medical call, when other crew members noticed discrepancies in documentation related to the drug's use. Islamorada Fire Rescue supervisors conducted an internal review and notified the Monroe County Sheriff's Office on March 2. Investigators say Burt obtained the partially used fentanyl vial from the ambulance following that call and then forged another paramedic's signature on disposal documents tied to the vial, Linhardt said. The department's ambulances carry fentanyl for use in pain treatment.

Warrants were issued following the sheriff's investigation, and Burt was arrested March 18 and booked into the Monroe County Sheriff's Office main jail on Stock Island on Wednesday afternoon. A judge had not yet set his bond at the time of reporting, and information on legal representation was not immediately available.

The chief of Islamorada Fire Rescue did not respond to a request for comment.