A Dallas firefighter was arrested after authorities said he lied about contracting the coronavirus, scored more than $12,000 in sick pay and lounged at a nearby resort during the time off.
William Jordan Carter, 38, of Rowlett, Texas, has been charged with felony theft of $12,548.86 in public funds during a scheme that ran from March 24 to April 23, according to an arrest affidavit written by Dallas Police Detective Lee Allen.
Carter secured sick leave after telling bosses on March 24 that his spouse tested positive for Covid-19, before saying a week later that his daughter had also contracted the virus, Allen wrote in his affidavit filed Thursday.
Then two days before being scheduled to return to work, Carter told his supervisor that he also had tested positive, according to the affidavit. Dallas Fire Deputy Chief Lauren Johnson then asked Carter for documentation, and that's when he allegedly came clean.
"Witness Johnson asked if any of this was true and he stated, 'I guess not,'" Allen wrote. "Witness Johnson asked, 'What made you do this?' Suspect Carter stated, 'Greed, I guess.'"
The detective added: "Witness Johnson asked, 'Just so you wouldn't have to go to work?' and he said, 'Yes.'"
Police pulled Carter's bank records and found that he spent $1,348.40 from April 15 to 18 at the Kalahari resort in nearby Round Rock, among other charges, the affidavit stated. The resort boasts of having "America's largest indoor waterpark."
Carter, who was arrested Friday, was not listed in Dallas jail inmate records Wednesday. The firefighter could not be immediately reached for comment at publicly listed phone numbers, and it wasn't clear if the suspect had hired an attorney.
Dallas Fire Fighters Association President Jim McDade confirmed that Carter, who normally works out of Station 7, has been suspended by the department, but he declined any further comment.
