KLAS-TV Channel 8 News Las VegasI-Team: Firefighter Paramedic Arrested Again For Burglary, Theft Charges

I-Team: Firefighter Paramedic Arrested Again For Burglary, Theft Charges

The former firefighter-paramedic facing 22 felony charges for breaking into fire stations and ambulances now faces a new charge: felony escape. Officials say Sam Bond was able to remove his ankle monitoring device and then broke into another fire station Saturday morning.

They say he stole the narcotics morphine and valium. Eyewitness News now knows the Clark County Fire Department did give Sam Bond the chance to beat his addiction to morphine.

An official said Monday that Bond started a drug rehabilitation program shortly after he was put on administrative leave last June. But it isn't clear if he completed the program.

Bond did miss a drug test scheduled for the end of September, and now there is undeniable evidence his drug addiction drove him to desperate measures to get another high.

Found passed out in his parent's front driveway Saturday morning, Sam Bond was rushed to the hospital suffering from a drug overdose. That same morning, firefighters at Station 65 in Southern Highlands returned to find the window on a side door to the fire house broken.

Left behind, blood from the intruder. Gone from a paramedic's emergency supply vehicle -- syringes filled with morphine and valium. The narcotics were stolen from a large stash routinely used to refill emergency vehicles around the county.

Scott Allison, Clark County Fire Department's spokesperson said, "We were just as surprised as anybody when we got the call Saturday morning saying that another fire station had been broken into and drugs were missing."

Like everyone else, Allison thought Sam Bond, accused in 12 other fire station and ambulance break-ins, was under house arrest, wearing an ankle monitor.

Sgt. Darrick Butler of Metro House Arrest Unit said, "Mr. Bond had not set off any alerts so we had no issues or no reason to believe there was anything to follow-up on."

Sgt. Butler says paramedics are trained to cut off ankle bracelets in an emergency. But somehow, Bond got out of the monitoring device without cutting through the hard plastic, without setting off the sensors that would have alerted police he was on the move.

Butler said, "It had not been cut -- it had not been taken apart in any way. There were minor marks on the plastic frame. Nothing to indicate that it was cut or separated."

Saturday's break-in comes in the midst of a $40,000 revamping of security at every Clark County fire station. Locks and entry codes have ben changed, security around narcotics kits, enhanced.

Allison said, "He did not breach any of our security systems. All he did was he physically broke a window, made his way into the station and then broke into a locked vehicle. Then into a locked box.

"He's a smart person. He's a smart guy. We've always given him that credit and he knew exactly where to go," said Allison.

But for now, Sam Bond will stay at the Clark County Detention Center.

Metro has used those specific ankle bracelets for the last year without a problem. They use them to keep track of a variety of suspects and offenders, including individuals accused of committing sex crimes.

Email your comments to Investigative Reporter Adrienne Augustus.