Serving a warrant Friday afternoon from Roanoke County, deputies from the Botetourt County Sheriff's Office arrested Billy Joe Carter, 34, chief of the Buchanan Volunteer Fire Department, on a misdemeanor charge related to a telephone conversation he allegedly had with a man who works as a city firefighter in Roanoke.
Carter was charged under a state law that prohibits the "use of profane, threatening or indecent language" over a telephone or citizens band radio.
Other details about the alleged offense were not available.
"I'm not sure exactly what transpired," said Sheriff Ronnie Sprinkle, who emphasized Botetourt deputies simply served the warrant.
Carter said today he is not yet clear about the circumstances of the charge but emphasized it involved him personally and not the Buchanan VFD.
Separately, Sprinkle said an investigation continues into Carter's behavior June 27 when the volunteer chief's actions allegedly complicated the response by the Botetourt County Sheriff's Office to a domestic dispute in Buchanan. Carter said he got involved to try to defuse the situation because the man allegedly involved in the dispute was a friend and once a volunteer firefighter.
Steven Patrick Prease, 33, was charged later with two counts of capital attempted murder of a law enforcement officer and one count of capital attempted murder of other persons.
On June 29, Sprinkle described Carter's behavior that night as interference.
"We're still looking at it," Sprinkle said. "We're not sure whether warrants will be obtained or not."
Two regional blogs by firefighters, The Fire Critic by Rhett Fleitz, and IronFiremen.com by Willie Wines Jr., have been highly critical of Carter's actions as chief of the Buchanan VFD. Wines is a captain with the Roanoke Fire-EMS Department.
Copyright 2012 - The Roanoke Times, Va.
McClatchy-Tribune News Service
