Article by Tammy Stables Battaglia at freep.com:
The Detroit Fire Department has suspended a 10-year veteran firefighter, who’s expected to be charged Friday with creating a false fire department report after leaving the scene of a hit-and-run accident.
Jonathan Britt, 30, of Detroit was put on leave without pay last week when the department learned a warrant had been signed Jan. 6, Fire Commissioner James Mack said today.
“Those are some serious charges to be leveled against someone with the fire department,” Mack said today. “We take those charges very seriously. When the indictment came out and we were notified, we placed him on that status.”
Britt could not be reached for comment today.
According to a warrant, Britt is accused of hitting an unoccupied car parked at Conant and East McNichols on May 2, 2009, then creating a false Detroit Fire Department report claiming he was in an accident elsewhere, to submit to his insurance company.
Britt is also accused of filing a false report with the Detroit Police Department, claiming he was in an accident at Linwood and Hazelwood that required firefighters from Engine 21 to respond, according to the warrant.
That engine company was deactivated – no firefighters were working that firehouse – the day of the accident, according to the fire department.
The warrant charges Britt with uttering and publishing, punishable by up to 14 years in jail; insurance fraud, punishable by 4 years in jail and up to $50,000 in fines; identity theft, punishable by up to 5 years in jail and $25,000 in fines; and false pretenses more than $1,000 but less that $20,000, punishable by up to 5 years in prison and $10,000 in fines.
