Authorities have charged two Montgomery County Fire Rescue Service firefighters for their alleged role in flooding a ball field next to a fire station earlier this year.
On July 17, a local baseball team was practicing before a game at the Montgomery Blair Baseball Stadium in Silver Spring, Maryland, next to the fire department’s Silver Spring Fire Station 16.
A ball hit out of the stadium struck a pickup truck parked by the fire station. A fire truck was then used to flood the field, leading to the game’s cancellation.
Montgomery County Fire Rescue Service Capt. Christopher Reilly, 54, and firefighter Alan Barnes, 44, face charges of conspiracy to commit malicious destruction of property, malicious destruction of property and disorderly conduct, according to court documents.
All three charges are misdemeanors. The two are due back in court on Oct. 21 for a preliminary hearing.
In a charging document, the Maryland-National Capital Park Police said that Mr. Barnes backed the truck out of the station onto University Boulevard and removed the truck’s hose, and that Mr. Reilly then sprayed the field for about three minutes, according to WRC-TV.
The founder of the team whose game was cancelled, Dick O’Connor, told WJLA-TV in July that the firefighters fessed up, saying, “I went [to the fire station] and talked to the captain, and he admitted that he did it. And he said he wanted to get our attention.”
The fire department removed both men from operational work and placed them on nonpublic contact status while an internal investigation into the incident continues.
Montgomery County Fire Chief Corey Smedley said, “We expect all of our personnel to uphold the highest standards of conduct on and off duty. The actions alleged in this case do not reflect the values of MCFRS or the professionalism of the men and women who serve our community every day,” according to WTOP-FM.
• Brad Matthews can be reached at bmatthews@washingtontimes.com.
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