The fire chief of Needham in Montgomery County was suspended without pay for 30 days, KPRC Local 2 reported Thursday.
Gregory Carter was accused of drinking in uniform at a bar, using his fire department vehicle to illegally block traffic during a Sept. 11 parade and having anger-management issues.
However, none of the allegations has been proven to be true, the station reported.
"The reason for the suspension was primarily to just give the rumor mill a chance to rest for a while," said Bob Knight, the Emergency Service board director. "I personally am not willing to just disregard all the good he's done based on, to me, baseless allegations."
Gary Blalock owns the bar where Carter was allegedly drinking in uniform.
"It's a bold-face lie. He has never been in my establishment, in uniform, drinking or driving a fire truck," Blalock said.
As for the anger-management issues, Knight said that came from one heated verbal exchange between Carter and a firefighter.
"Many times, you could have a firefighter who has done something 20 times and he's warned them about it. Maybe on the 21st, he's been a little more vocal and raised his voice out of frustration as much as anything else," Knight said.
He said the firefighter who was a part of the verbal exchange said he has no problems with Carter.
Knight said the reason for the suspension was to ensure both sides felt a fair investigation into the allegations was done.
Carter released the following statement.
"My feelings are hurt. After a stellar 25-year career, it saddens me that the department, the community, myself, and my family have to fight allegations that are untrue and unsubstantiated. It is my hope that all of the above still have the trust in me to do my work as well as I have done the last six years with the Needham Fire Department."
