DOCUMENT: Crime

Paramedic Busted For Coughing On Store Cashier

Suspect said rules were "getting out of hand"

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Paramedic Popped

APRIL 8--After declaring that social distancing rules were “getting out of hand,” a customer yesterday “forcefully” coughed on a store cashier and announced that he “goes up to people wearing masks and does the same thing to them,” according to Florida cops.

Investigators allege that Christopher Canfora, a 49-year-old paramedic, intentionally coughed on a female employee at a tool store near his home in DeBary, a city about 25 miles north of Orlando.

As described in a charging affidavit, Canfora approached cashier Amanda Puig around 9:10 AM and commented on tape markers placed on the ground to ensure that patrons stayed six feet apart. The 21-year-old Puig told cops that Canfora remarked, “This is getting out of hand, this is why everywhere I go I cough behind everyone with a mask.”

Seen above, Canfora then allegedly coughed on Puig and “all over the register where he was standing.” Puig told police that “after coughing on her, he stated he was going to be on his way to do this again” at a Winn-Dixie supermarket.

A store manager told police that she initially heard Canfora “laughing and making fun of the boxes on the ground to practice social distancing,” and then observed him “coughing all over the counter.”

Using a store receipt for Canfora’s purchases, cops tracked the subject to his residence, where Canfora said that he “did not recall having an altercation” at the tool store. Canfora added that he was very “happy-go-lucky.”

After being placed under arrest, Canfora told cops he “did not expect anyone to understand his sense of humor, as he and his partner joke around at his work frequently.” Canfora told police that he works for a private ambulance company.

Canfora, who told police he did not have symptoms associated with the coronavirus, was charged with aggravated assault, a felony, for “actively coughing on Puig” in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.   

Canfora was released from the Volusia County jail after posting $5000 bond. He is scheduled for an April 30 arraignment. (3 pages)