KISSIMMEE, Fla. – In a recently released interview with Kissimmee police, a teenager accused of impersonating a hospital physician's assistant and a police officer said he had always wanted to become a patrol officer or a registered nurse.
In September 2011, Kissimmee police said then 17-year-old Matthew Scheidt made his way into the emergency room at Osceola Regional Medical Center where he interviewed patients and performed exams.
The interview was done in September after he was arrested for impersonating a physician's assistant but before he was arrested in January 2012 for impersonating a cop in Miami.
"I've always, always wanted to go into law enforcement," said Scheidt.
The suspect told a Kissimmee police detective that he wanted to become either a patrol officer or a registered nurse.
Scheidt had been hired to do clerical work at a medical practice, but denies deceiving Osceola Regional Medical Center when he obtained a physician's assistant ID.
"Do you have any copies of that paperwork?" asked the detective.
"No, I don't," said Scheidt. "And somehow Osceola Regional can't find it either. So I specifically remember putting on that paperwork that I was an assistant and I put a backslash paperwork, or clerical, I just put clerical."
Scheidt says he shadowed a physician, Dr. Christopher Scott, and was in the ER a couple of times times wearing scrubs, a lab coat, pager, and even a stethoscope.
Initially, Scheidt is adamant everyone there knew he was not a physician's assistant even though he performed patient care including CPR.
After about two and half hours, Scheidt finally admits to detectives that some people could have believed he was a PA, but he says that wasn't his fault. He says he never asked for that badge and is now a scapegoat for the hospital's mistake.
"I want to find out who did this and put that into the system and have whoever that is fired because apparently they are too ignorant to have that position," said Scheidt.
During that interview, he also talks about when he was in the Explorers program for youths at the Osceola Sheriff's Office. He was expelled from that program for leading people to believe he was an officer.
Scheidt is reportedly asking a judge to not allow this interrogation to be played during his trial, which is set to begin later this month. However, prosecutors may ask for a delay to gather more evidence.
Scheidt is currently being held in the Osceola county jail with no bond.