An Ohio firefighter is accused of falsely calling in a house fire.
McDonald firefighter Matthew Rozhon, 23, was arraigned Monday in Niles Municipal Court on charges of inducing panic, making false alarms and disrupting public services, a felony, WKBN-TV reports. He was released on $60,000 bond.
According to investigators, Rozhon called a dispatcher to report a structure fire Jan. 23. Crews from McDonald, Girard and Weathersfield rushed to the scene, but when firefighters arrived, they discovered there was no fire or emergency.
When Rozhon was questioned about the incident, he told officials that a woman who came to the fire department had reported the fire to him. But Rozhon did not know the woman's name nor could he give a description.
Police then opened an investigation, which led to the charges. Rozhon also faces internal fire department investigations from McDonald and Brookfield, where he also served.
“It hurts. It’s not what we’re about and this incident does not define our fire department or what we stand for,” McDonald Assistant Fire Chief Jim Petruzzi told WKBN.
McDonald and Brookfield have placed Rozhon on administrative leave pending results from their investigations. He also is on indefinite suspension with the Girard Fire Department, and Lane LifeTrans, where he worked as a paramedic, has taken him off the schedule, WKBN added.
