A female Las Vegas firefighter has filed a complaint claiming a sexually explicit video of her was circulated among her coworkers without her knowledge.
The Las Vegas Review-Journal obtained a copy of the human resources complaint, which states that the woman learned in June that her colleagues had the video. The origin of the video being shared is unclear, and a former boyfriend of the firefighter has denied involvement.
The newspaper did not identify the firefighter because of the nature of her complaint.
“I want the individuals who are a part of this scandal to be held accountable for their wrongdoings and also for the emotional and mental distress this situation has caused me,” the woman wrote in her complaint. “I want to be able to go to work and not feel like everyone I work with is thinking of me in a sexual way, but more as a respected coworker that I really am.”
Jenny Foley, the attorney representing the firefighter, said the city placed her client on unpaid leave in August while the claims are investigated. A city spokesperson confirmed the investigation, but would not comment because it is a “personnel matter with pending litigation.”
Foley sent the city attorney’s office a letter in September threatening a lawsuit and naming 17 current and former city employees, including Fire Chief William McDonald, former Deputy Fire Chief Ray Kessler and Assistant Fire Chiefs Jon Stevenson and Sarah McCrea, as people who should save their personal communications because they will either be sued or called as witnesses.
“There’s a level of trust that you have to have when you work in a first responder environment, and when that trust is broken everyone suffers,” Foley said.
This is just the latest in a string of sexual misconduct incidents that have tarnished the department.
There have been repeated accusations of firefighters having sex in fire stations, and a former captain was jailed last year for allegedly having sex with an underage prostitute at a station.
