Paramedics arrested for selfies with their patients, that is the disturbing headline coming from Florida. Kayla Renee Dubois and Christopher Wimmer were arrested after authorities discovered that the pair had created a sordid competition to see which of the two could take the most selfies with unconscious patients under their care.
A couple of paramedics from Florida were arrested for taking selfies with an extensive list of their patients. On Thursday, deputies from the Okaloosa County Sheriff Office arrested Kayla Renee Dubois, 24. Thirty-three-year-old Christopher Wimmer turned himself in a few hours later.
In a post shared by Sheriff Larry Ashley on the Okaloosa County Sheriff Office’s Facebook page, it was revealed that for the past months, the duo had created a very twisted game, which consisted of taking a maximum of selfies with patients in their care.
The investigation into the paramedics’ illegal and immoral activities began in May after several other emergency system employees contacted the authorities to say that they had received pictures and videos from the pair that showed sedated, or unconscious patients. While police were investigating the matter, Dubois was fired, and Wimmer resigned. Ashley said:
“Many patients were intubated, sedated, or otherwise unconscious at the time. The defendants exchanged texts challenging each other to produce more selfies and to ‘step up’ their game.”
Ashley added:
“Investigators identified a total of 41 patients who were props in the game, three of whom apparently gave their permission. Nineteen of the other patients are female, 17 are male, ranging in age from 24-86, and two have died.”
According to the authorities, Wimmer also posed with an elderly woman with her breast exposed. Dubois faces two charges of interception and disclosure of oral communications, a felony, and Wimmer was given seven counts of the same charge plus a charge of misdemeanor battery because he allegedly posed while holding open a patient’s eyelid. It is not yet known if the patients or their families will sue the disgraced paramedics.
While I realize that such behavior is shocking and offensive, I don’t think it’s particularly uncommon and I believe, with good legal representation, they will get off with a fine and a suspended sentence. Many people may not understand why they would do something like that. But, EMTs and morgue workers often become desensitized to their surroundings. They are exposed to injured and dying and dead people constantly and they put up mental barriers to protect their sanity. The EMTs do what they are supposed to to protect and comfort each patient. They can’t become emotionally involved or they would burn out quickly. So, they compare runs and make morbid jokes and such. To those two EMTs, it was just a game about their jobs. Taking selfies with their phones isn’t all that different from EMTs that used to take photos of accident victims to compare. It happens. It doesn’t appear that there were any specific rules against it. So, I don’t see how, after all the false indignation, that prosecutors will make much stick. After all, don’t you think prosecutors brag about their cases?