Jan. 23--Columbus fire Chief Gregory A. Paxton has recommended termination for Marc Cain, a firefighter who had an affair with a young woman while he was on duty.
Paxton submitted his recommendation to Mitchell J. Brown, the city's director of public safety, who will make the final call on Cain's fate. It's unlikely he will overrule Paxton's recommendation.
Paxton found Cain guilty of 13 violations of division policy. Paxton signed his findings on Jan. 16 and submitted them to Brown on Friday.
Cain, 48, has been with the Fire Division for 24 years. He was removed from his firehouse and placed on administrative duty this week while Brown reviews Paxton's recommendation.
Cain's supervisors recommended his termination three months ago, after they learned he had a two-year affair with a woman that began when she was 18. The woman was a friend of Cain's daughter.
A six-month investigation found Cain had sex with the woman at Station 17 on the Hilltop numerous times between September 2011 and April 2013.
The investigation also found sufficient evidence of the following:
--Cain was dishonest when investigators questioned him.
--Cain violated rules when he allowed the woman to ride along in emergency vehicles and took her to the bedroom area of the fire station.
--He was insubordinate after supervisors warned about his actions multiple times.
--He gave the woman the security codes for the fire station so she could enter it at all hours.
--Cain sent a picture of his genitals to the woman's cell phone while he was on duty.
Copyright 2014 - The Columbus Dispatch, Ohio
