More Noonday Fire Department Fallout
Posted/updated on: November 1, 2010 at 10:48 am
NOONDAY — Another Noonday fireman resigned Friday and the assistant fire chief steps down from his position. All this after the Noonday fire chief quit Wednesday. According to KETK, a police report says a Noonday fireman’s car was repossessed because he didn’t have insurance. The repo man who spoke to us earlier this week on terms of anonimity says when he went to repossess the car at the fire station, the assistant fire chief threatened him. Then, when he took possession of the car and took it to Glaspy Auto, the repo man says firemen blocked him in with their cars so he could not get out. As the repo man called the sheriff’s office, his wife took pictures of the fireman at the parking lot.
Travis Barnett was one of the four firefighters there. He got a call that the fireman’s vehicle had been stolen. Barnett says he saw the firemen at Glaspy Auto, so he stopped. Smith County Sheriffs showed up shortly after he got there, Barnett says.
“My name was put into it because i was there, but i was not involved at any time with the incident,” he says. Barnett resigned today because he says doesn’t want to be connected to something like this. “I feel like there’s not enough discipline in that department to be run effectively.”
The now-former chief Dave Timmins resigned Thursday because he said he couldn’t trust other firemen or their alibies. Barnett says, “It’s kind of like when you put 20 people in a room and whisper something in someone’s ear and none of the stories are the same.”
The repo man tells us assistant fire chief Gary Aarant was the ring-leader in the situation. Today, Aarant tells us that everything that has been put against the fire department is false, and they’re going to take care of it.
Today, Aarant stepped down from his position as assistant fire chief.
Smith County Sheriffs are no longer investigating. We’re also told the Noonday Volunteer Fire Department Board will handle the matter. Aarant says this board is made up of community members and Noonday volunteer firefighters.
