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NAPLES, Fla. - With her husband unwell early one morning in late January, a North Naples woman called for an ambulance to their condo.
The couple ended up a little lighter in the pocketbook, but not because of the medical bills. A Collier County emergency medical technician is accused of stealing money from Ralph Delmonico's wallet while he was being transported to the hospital.
Roger Alfonso, 27, of Miami, was fired after he was arrested Tuesday by Collier sheriff's deputies in the 6000 block of Collier Boulevard. Alfonso was a part-time EMT since 2009 with the Collier County EMS, said county government spokesman John Torre.
"As a part-time, job bank employee he was being used only when the department needed him to cover a shift," Torre wrote in an email. " He has been advised that he will no longer be employed by EMS."
The victim's wife, Donna Delmonico, told investigators that when her husband was being prepared for transport, he handed his wallet to one of the medics to give to her. When she opened his wallet later, she discovered that an undisclosed amount of money was missing, according to Alfonso's arrest report.
Interviews conducted with both fire rescue and EMS units determined that Alfonso was the suspect, the report noted.
Alfonso, who faces a felony charge of grand theft of $300 to $5,000, has not been investigated internally on similar allegations, according to Torre, and has no prior arrest record in Collier County. There have been no complaints or allegations of theft against emergency personnel in 2011 or 2012, Torre said.
"In fact, EMS employees who have been around for a while have no recollection of this alleged activity happening previously," he added.
According to standard operating procedures for Collier County EMS and fire departments, "jewelry, watches, and wallets will not be removed from the patient unless the items critically interfere with medical care."
Any search done of the items will be conducted with a witness present "whenever possible," the guidelines detail, and the items will be left on-scene with an "appropriate person."
Attempts to reach the Delmonicos at their home Wednesday were unsuccessful. Alfonso was released on $2,500 bond the day of his arrest.
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