Charlotte Fire Department captain Charlie Morris has resigned after admitting to stealing prescription drugs from a patient last week.
Fire Department Captain Rob Brisleysays the incident violates the public's trust.
"An incident like this is extremely rare and we take our role responding to emergencies and calls for service very seriously," Brisley says. "And it's an extreme disappointment for us that one of our own made a very poor decision."
Brisley says the department was acting quickly to fire him, so Captain Charlie Morris decided to resign.
Morris, a 22-year veteran of the fire department, was responding to a MEDIC call in North Charlotte on Tuesday. While emergency crews were inside the home helping a patient, Charlotte Mecklenburg Police officers say Morris took seven prescription pain pills that belonged to the patient.
A family member noticed the medication was missing and called MEDIC. On Wednesday, the State Bureau of Investigation and CMPD officers began taking statements, drug tests and lie detector tests. That's when Morris confessed to stealing the drugs. He resigned on Thursday.
On Friday, CMPD detectives charged Morris with misdemeanor larceny and issued a warrant for his arrest. Morris turned himself in and was released on a written promise to appear in court on September 5.