STERLING, Colo.-- A 23-year-old volunteer firefighter is facing serious charges after responding to an accident he allegedly caused when he drove after a night of drinking at a bar, authorities said.
Colorado State Patrol arrested and charged Paul William Sweet, a volunteer firefighter for the Fleming Fire Department, with DUI, DUI Per Se, no proof of insurance, failed to remain at the scene of the accident, failed to notify police of accident and careless driving.
But was Sweet the one who called in the accident and responded to it?
It is true that Sweet is the one who called 911 and reported a gas leak in the 300 block of Custer Street in Fleming early morning of April 1.
And it is also true that Sweet, along with another volunteer firefighter, were the first ones on the scene of the leak.
At 1:26 that morning, CSP Master Trooper John Lopez arrived at the scene and saw Sweet -- in full bunker gear -- and another volunteer firefighter already on scene.
According to a CSP report, the other firefighter confirmed that it was Sweet who called in the incident where a vehicle -- which was no longer there -- appeared to have struck a gas meter.
While the emergency crew -- CSP and firefighters -- were surveying the area, Lopez smelled a strong odor of alcohol coming from Sweet's direction, prompting the trooper to ask if the firefighter was in any way involved with the accident.
Sweet denied involvement and said that he was driving by the area, saw the broken gas meter and decided to call it in.
After talking to Sweet, Lopez drove to the Fleming Fire Station and saw Sweet's 1992 Chevy S-10 pickup parked in the vicinity.
Lopez noticed damage on the pickup's left front bumper was consistent with it hitting the gas meter.
The trooper went back to the scene of the accident and arrested Sweet, who admitted that he was driving, but noted that he had nothing to drink after he crashed his truck into the gas meter.
Apparently, after the crashing his truck on the gas meter, Sweet went to the Fleming Fire Station and called 911 to report the gas leak, but did not say that it was he who struck it.
With his bunker gear on, Sweet sat on the passenger seat of the fire truck driven by another firefighter en route to the "accident."
Fleming Volunteer Fire Chief Dale Lousberg did not return a phone call from the Journal-Advocate seeking comment.
Sweet is currently free on bond.
Copyright 2007 by Journal-Advocate and Prairie Mountain Publishing.
Republished with permission of the Journal-Advocate.
