One Sacramento, California Firefighter Resigns, Three Others Asked to Leave After Sex Scandal
SACRAMENTO (AP) -- One Sacramento firefighter has resigned and three others have been sent termination letters, five weeks after they were accused of having group sex at their station house, Fire Chief Julius ''Joe'' Cherry said.
The lone woman accused of participating in consensual sex at Station 12 resigned, ending the city's attempt to discipline her, Cherry said. She was a 10-year veteran of the department.
She and three male firefighters have been on paid administrative leave since January, when the department began an investigation into at least three incidents of consensual group sex, in Station 12 and on a fire engine.
The termination letters sent to the three men, a captain and two firefighters, are the first steps in what could be a lengthy disciplinary process, Cherry said.
''A notice of intent is not, in fact, a termination but rather a procedural step in the process of discipline,'' Cherry said. ''They now have to go through the civil service process. We will go through the process and keep the public informed of what takes place.''
The accusations of on-duty group sex were the latest in a string of scandals for Sacramento firefighters, who have been disciplined for drinking on duty, giving joy rides to women on fire trucks and attending a ''Porn Star Costume Ball.''
Before Monday's events, 24 city firefighters and senior officers had been disciplined. Two resigned before they were terminated; two captains were fired; and five others were placed on five years' probation.
After eight months of investigations, Cherry said he hopes this latest round of discipline is the last.
Related:
