OKALOOSA COUNTY, Fla. — Two former paramedics facing charges for taking selfies with dozens of incapacitated or unconscious patients are scheduled to appear in court Sept. 7.
Kayne Renee Dubois, 24, and Christopher Wimmer, 33, were arrested July 21. Officials said they used their personal cellphones to photograph and record numerous patients while they were intubated, sedated, intoxicated or unconscious while being treated inside an ambulance.
“These cases boil down to taking advantage of victims when they are at their most vulnerable,” Assistant State Attorney Clifton Drake told the News Herald. “No one should have to worry when they are in the back of an ambulance that they are being recorded without their permission.”
Formal charges against the two will be read at the hearing in September.
Although Drake will seek jail time for the two, he also “expected them to both plead not guilty.”
Dubois is charged with two counts of interception and disclosure of oral communications. Wimmer faces seven counts of the same charges.
Authorities seized both Dubois’ and Wimmer’s phones to download the contents for evidence. However, Dubois has declined to provide her pass code, leaving investigator stuck.
Officials have contacted most of the 41 patients who were recorded or photographed. Three of them seemed to willingly take the selfies. Two patients, both women, have died since the incident. Five of the patients were homeless, and have not been located.