San Jose fire captain arrested on drug, burglary charges

SAN JOSE, Calif. - A fire captain with the San Jose Fire Department was arrested Thursday after being named as a suspect for tampering with several controlled substances in the department's possession, a city spokesman said. 

Capt. Mark Moalem was named as a suspect Wednesday after the fire department notified police that drugs in their custody were allegedly damaged or tampered with.

In addition to the drug charges, Moalem was booked into the Santa Clara County Jail for burglary at a fire station, endangering a child, and narcotics violations. 

Records show the 44-year-old has since been released from custody.

Dig deeper:

According to a letter on the city's website from the fire chief, fire department staff notified police on Monday when they discovered the alleged tampering after inspecting and restocking the station's medications.

The DEA was also notified about the tampering, the fire official said. 

According to the San Jose Police Department, it's possible that 16 fire stations had medications tampered with or were removed.

Moalem has been working with the fire department since 2002. He last worked on Tuesday, according to city officials.

It's not the first time the fire captain has faced issues on drug-related charges. In 2013, he was the subject on drug-related charges and received a deferred judgment.

Stemming from the deferred judgment, Moalem was required to submit to random drug tests over several years, and he was investigated by the state's Emergency Medical Services Agency, which could've resulted in the revocation of his paramedic license without fulfilling several conditions during a five-year probation.

What they're saying:

"Lives depend on our firefighters’ ability to administer medical care during emergencies, which is why we take theft of controlled substances extremely seriously," said San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan.  "I’ll continue monitoring the situation and look forward to procedural changes that ensure this never happens again."

"I will not tolerate criminal behavior," said San Jose City Manager Jennifer Maguire. "The allegations are deeply concerning and represent a serious breach of public trust."

According to a letter on the city's website, the San Jose fire chief expressed disappointment about the allegations against the fire captain.

"I, along with the entire San José Fire Department, am beyond disappointed in the actions and crimes alleged thus far as they are antithetical to the mission and values of the department. The San José Fire Department will continue to be fully cooperative with the Police Department’s investigation through the conclusion of the investigation," the letter read.

What's next:

 Police are investigating, and the fire department is also investigating to see if his actions impacted patient care. 

Anyone with information about the allegations is asked to contact San Jose police at (408) 277-4521.

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