THE ST. LUCIE COUNTY, FLORIDA, FIREFIGHTER/PARAMEDIC who brought international attention and embarassment to her department by taking the severed foot of an accident victim home with her was arrested this morning and charged with theft.
Cynthia Economou
The incident took place last September 19 when a man wrapped his car around a tree and caused a lengthy extrication. A portion of his lower leg was severed in the wreck and it wasn’t recovered until after the ambulance had taken the victim to the hospital. When the foot was freed, FF/Paramedic Cynthia Economou took possession of it and carried it back to the firehouse where she had a family member come by and take it home. She said at the time that she was a “cadaver dog trainer” and wanted the foot for training.
See the earlier Firegeezer reports HERE, HERE and HERE for the stories on this bizarre event.
This afternoon (Monday) Florida Highway Patrol officers arrested her and charged her with 2nd-degree petit theft, defined as theft of property worth at least $100 but not more than $300.
Economou resigned from the department one week after the incident.
WPBF-TV has today’s report HERE.
LISTEN TO AN INTERVIEW with Cindy Economou, the FF/paramedic who took the foot back to the station. She recounts the entire incident on this recorded interview HERE.
