Two EMS paramedics in Florida were arrested this week after investigators discovered they were taking photos of incapacitated and unconscious victims as part of an apparent selfie war.
The Okaloosa County Sheriff's Office charged Kayla Renee Dubois, 24, with two counts of interception and disclosure of oral communications, which is a third degree felony, and Christopher Wimmer, 33, with seven counts of the same charge. Additionally, Wimmer received a misdemeanor battery charge for holding open the eyelid of a sedated patient for a selfie, according to a statement from the sheriff's office. Wimmer also allegedly posed with an elderly woman whose breast was exposed in one photo, the investigation found.
The sheriff's office began investigating the pair on May 13 after receiving complaints from three of their fellow EMS employees. In total, the investigation included photos of 41 patients ranging in age from 24 to 86. Two of the patients Dubois and Wimmer took photos with are now deceased, five of the photographed patients were homeless people, and none of the patients were aware they were being photographed with the exception of three patients who appeared to have agreed to take photos with the paramedics.
"[The investigation] revealed the defendants exchanged texts challenging each other to produce more selfies and to 'step up' their game," a statement from the sheriff's office said.
Dubois was fired a week after the investigation started, according to the Associated Press, and Wimmer resigned the same day. Dubois was arrested in Navarre, Fla. on Thursday morning, and Wimmer turned himself into a jail in Crestview, Fla. on Thursday afternoon.
