Former AL Fire Chief Arrested on Ethics Charges

The former Trussville fire chief was arrested and booked into the county jail Monday night on six charges.

Russell Ledbetter, former chief of the Trussville Fire Department, was booked into the Jefferson County Jail on Monday just before 9 p.m. He was charged with two counts of auto theft and sale, three ethics law violations, and one overweight vehicle violation, booking records show. The offenses were committed in March and August 2014, records state.

Ledbetter was released from jail on bond about an hour after his arrest.

In 2016, the city of Trussville planned to ask the Alabama Attorney General's Office to investigate possible financial misappropriations in the volunteer fire department. The City Council placed Ledbetter and Fire Marshal Steve Reasonover on paid administrative leave pending the outcome of an investigation, but Ledbetter resigned later that year.

Reasonover was allowed to come back to work after explaining that he never violated any ethics laws or did anything wrong, his attorney, Lance Bell, said Tuesday.

City officials did not comment on the extent of the possible financial irregularities, and it was unclear if the AG's Office would investigate the case.

Trussville has a paid, full-time fire department; its volunteer department disbanded shortly after Ledbetter's resignation. Ledbetter served as fire chief of the full-time department since 1998.

Updated at 12:05 p.m. April 10 with comment from Reasonover attorney Lance Bell

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