Paramedic Surrenders License for Controlled Substances with Saline and Injecting Himself On Duty

Zachary Coles Jones was a Paramedic at Franklin County American Medical Response (AMR).

In October of 2018, Jones was on duty with Franklin County AMR when a coworker noted he was having trouble staying awake, but Jones shrugged it off saying he’d worked a double shift the night prior and was only sleepy. Hours later that same coworker found a used syringe and bloody napkins in the bathroom trash. The coworker reported this to the on-duty supervisors who searched for any evidence of tampering.

The next day, AMR requested a drug screen which Jones passed.

The next day, they requested a drug screening at a clinic, where Jones was caught attempting to swap his swab with a clean one. He confessed to being under the influence of Fentanyl and claimed responsibility for the syringe found in the bathroom. He also confessed to manipulating the hinges on the narcotics boxes to avoid detection.

In a signed consent decree dated March 22, 2021, he accepted responsibility for removing Versed and Fentanyl from the narcotics box on October 6, 2018, and injecting himself with the medications while on duty, and replacing the used contents with saline solution.

In April 2019, Jones surrendered his license and was placed on probation, during which he agreed to attend a long-term alcohol and drug treatment program.