Aug. 30 -- A Sacramento firefighter has resigned after being convicted of felony assault for fondling the breasts of a 19-year-old woman while she was unresponsive and en route to the hospital after she suffered a seizure.
Jared Evans faces a maximum sentence of three years in county jail and must register as a sex offender, according to the Sacramento County District Attorney’s Office.
According to Capt. Keith Wade, a spokesperson with the Sacramento Fire Department, Evans resigned as of 2:45 p.m. Thursday. He has been on paid administrative leave since April 24, 2017.
Evans, a firefighter of two years with the Sacramento Fire Department, responded to a 911 call in April 2017 for a 19-year-old woman who had a stroke and briefly stopped breathing, the DA’s office said.
The victim was transported to the Kaiser Permanente hospital in south Sacramento in a Sacramento Fire Department ambulance. Evans, an intern and the driver also rode in the ambulance.
“While on duty in the back of the ambulance and supervising the intern, Evans made a comment about the victim’s breasts,” the DA’s office said. “Moments later, Evans reached his hand into the victim’s shirt, pulled out her breast and showed it to the intern. He put her breast back in her shirt and said to the intern, ‘Sorry bro, I had to.’”
According to earlier reports by The Bee, Evans reportedly also said, “Those are some big-ass nipples.”
Once Evans learned the victim was 19 years old, he reportedly said, “At least she’s legal.”
The intern reported the incident. Evans initially denied the allegations in an interview with police.
The Fire Department’s internal affairs unit subsequently called the victim, who said that although “she had just suffered a seizure, she could hear and feel what occurred,” the DA’s office said.
“She heard the comment about her breasts and felt her breast being touched,” the DA’s report said. “She told her mother and cousin after the incident, but did not report it out of fear that no one would believe her.”
According to earlier reports, the young woman was seeking psychological treatment after the incident.
In January, the woman filed a $1 million lawsuit against the city of Sacramento.
“We take those matters seriously,” Wade said. “It’s not reflective of the department.”
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