Christopher Lee Linn, also known as Christopher Lee Beckinsale, of Gilbert Creek, was arrested by the Mingo County Sheriff’s Office and charged with impersonating a paramedic.
Wharncliffe Volunteer Fire Department Chief Joshua Vance told WOWK 13 News that Linn began showing up to emergency scenes the Baisden, Gilbert and Wharncliffe fire departments were responding to early in 2023.
Eventually, first responders confronted Linn, telling him he could join a department but could not work the incidents without an affiliation.
Linn joined a department under a 90-day probation, Vance said, but never produced credentials supporting his claims to have medical training, Vance said.
Then firefighters became aware that Linn had a TikTok account on which he produced videos critical of the EMS system.
Linn told WOWK the “accusations are fully baseless.”
“This is nothing more than character assassination as a result of being a whistleblower on the state of EMS and fire coverage in Mingo County,” he wrote. “We will be dealing with this matter as per the court’s request, and then vigorously beginning civil litigation for all necessary parties for character assassination, libel, defamation, et al.”
