PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. --

A firefighter accused of taking an amputated leg from a crash scene and using it to train her cadaver dogs has resigned.

St. Lucie County Fire District Chief Ron Parrish said Thursday that 2007 firefighter of the year Cindy Economou resigned and is no longer employed with the district.

Her resignation came after allegations Economou took a crash victim's shin and foot to train her cadaver dogs.

Economou had been placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of an internal investigation.

Raymond Christian, attorney for Karl Lambert, 46, of Melbourne, told WPBF News 25 last week he was investigating whether a superior could have given the 14-year veteran permission to take the leg.

But Parrish said "the findings of the investigation and the weight of the evidence do not support anything other than that Ms. Economou acted on her own in removing the patient's foot from the accident scene."

Parrish also apologized to the public for any concerns the incident may have caused.

As you might imagine, this has been a difficult time for everyone involved, and in my 25-plus years in emergency services I have never heard of a situation of this nature," Parrish said in a news release. "I am personally and professionally disturbed by this act, and I want to assure the citizens that this was an isolated event."

Parrish said his district "is committed to seeing that anyone in need of emergency care will get the best there is available" and would not compromise the public's trust, "period."

Meanwhile, Lambert remained at St. Mary's Medical Center in West Palm Beach, where he was airlifted after the crash.