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Watch: Video of Then-Pantego, TX, Deputy Fire Chief's Arrest for DWI

Oct. 9, 2024

Court documents revealed ex-Deputy Chief Robert Franklin's blood alcohol level was nearly three times the legal limit.

Former Pantego Deputy Fire Chief Robert Franklin admitted to a police officer that he had been drinking, a video of the encounter shows.

In July, a Pantego police officer found him slumped the wheel of a fire department SUV behind a station, KDFW reported.

Franklin admitted to drinking 'a lot' when the officer asked him.

Officers were looking for the vehicle after a woman, who was offered a ride, got out ater Franklin's behavior and driving concerned her.

Once she and her son were safely out of the vehicle, she called 9-1-1.

"I don’t know how to really explain it, but my car had broke down," she told dispatch. "And a firefighter, he came, and he helped me."

"He kept swerving and acting like something was wrong with him. And I asked him. I said, ‘Sir, are you okay?’ He was just like, ‘No, I’m not. I’m not okay at all,’" she recalled. "I don’t know if it was a game for him or something. I don’t know what he thought, but it made me very uncomfortable. And I just asked him to pull over. I grabbed my son, and I headed out."

The officer found the damaged vehicle behind a fire station. Franklin said it wasn't sure if he hit anything.

Documents revealed his blood alcohol content was .234, nearly three times the legal limit.

Franklin will be court later this month.

About the Author

Susan Nicol | News Editor

Susan Nicol is the news editor for Firehouse.com. She is a life member and active with the Brunswick Volunteer Ambulance & Rescue Company, Oxford Fire Company and Brunswick Vol. Fire Co. Susie has been an EMT in Maryland since 1976. Susie is vice-president of the Frederick County Fire/Rescue Museum. She is on the executive committee of Frederick County Volunteer Fire and Rescue Association. She also is part of the Maryland Institute for Emergency Medical Services Systems (MIEMSS) Region II EMS Council. Susie is a board member of the American Trauma Society, Maryland Division. Prior to joining the Firehouse team, she was a staff writer for The Frederick News-Post, covering fire, law enforcement, court and legislative issues.