Firefighter on his 8th arrest – Will the charge of assaulting a pregnant woman be the one that ends his career?
I thought the two felony rule for cadets in the DC Fire & EMS Department was insane. That seems reasonable when you compare it to what’s going on in Mount Vernon, New York. A firefighter is suspended without pay after an arrest on charges that the firefighter and his wife attacked a woman. The woman was seven-months pregnant and the attack occurred in front of her children. The dispute was over who owned a vehicle.
But it’s the rest of what reporter Will David of The Journal News discovered that will have you asking, “Was anyone in charge at all surprised this firefighter might be arrested?”
According to reporter David, 38-year-old Charles Clayton has been with the department for six years. Before joining the department Clayton had a criminal record that included six arrests since 1996.
Two of Charles Clayton’s arrests were for felony charges. He has been arrested once since becoming a firefighter on a misdemeanor charge of driving while intoxicated. The arrest happened in 2011 and he pled guilty to driving while ability impared by alcohol, a traffic infraction.
All of his arrests occurred in Mount Vernon, Port Chester and the Bronx. Those arrests included charges of DWI, criminal possession of a controlled substance, criminal possession of marijuana, bail jumping and resisting arrest. He has been convicted twice of driving while ability impaired by alcohol, a traffic infraction. He has been convicted three times of seventh-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance, a misdemeanor. Additionally, he has convictions for bail jumping, resisting arrest and reckless driving.
Mount Vernon Fire Chief Edward Stevenson said Thursday that he would reserve comment on the case. He declined to comment on how Clayton could be a firefighter with an extensive criminal history.
