Sean Rossman

Democrat staff writer

An on-duty Leon County emergency medical technician overdosed on heroin earlier this month just moments after transporting a pregnant woman to the labor and delivery wing of Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare, according to a Tallahassee Police Department incident report.

On July 13, Justin Becraft, 41, and another medic were called out to pick up the pregnant woman on Moccasin Gap Road at 7:10 p.m. After they dropped the woman off, Becraft said he needed to use the bathroom.

After about 15 to 20 minutes, fellow medics began to worry about Becraft, who hadn't come out of the bathroom. They knocked on a bathroom door and could hear Becraft groaning from the other side, according to police reports in support of misdemeanor charges against him for possession of narcotic equipment.

The other EMTs were able to unlock the door and found Becraft "unresponsive and blue" with a used needle, a metal spoon, a pair of sunglasses, a green tourniquet, a lighter and three small bags in the bathroom with him. TMH emergency room staff immediately tended to him.

The medic riding with Becraft that night said he seemed normal beforehand.

"During the few hours he was working with Becraft he did not seem depressed or upset about anything, and the two men talked about bands and music," the TPD incident report said.

A Leon County Emergency Medical Services captain took inventory of the narcotics on Becraft's ambulance and found none had been stolen. Police found no other drugs on Becraft

Becraft, who said he had worked with Leon County EMS for about seven years, told police he accidentally overdosed on two bags of heroin worth $80. Police said he told them he bought the drugs before he started work at 6:30 p.m. He said after dropping off the woman he went into the bathroom, put all of the heroin on a spoon and heated it with a lighter. He said he then injected it intravenously into his right arm. The next thing he knew he was in a hospital bed, the report said.

Becraft told police he was a recovering opioid addict and had been clean for about a month before the overdose.

Becraft told police the amount of heroin he did is not an abnormal amount and that he used that much in the past and "had been able to function normally." He stated he was usually functional enough after this much heroine that he planned to come back to work after using.

Leon County EMS Chief Tom Quillin said he sent a notice of termination to Becraft the next day. Becraft still has the right to appeal his firing to county administrator Vince Long.

Quillin doesn't know if Becraft plans to appeal or whether he had used heroin on the job before. Leon County EMS administers random drug testing to those in safety-sensitive positions like EMTs and paramedics, Quillin said.