Four Cherokee County firefighters are off the job following an investigation.
County officials started looking into the actions of four veteran firefighters after a female firefighter was terminated when she failed a drug test when she was using a prescription drug.
The 256-page report stemmed from an investigation after the female firefighter claimed she was sexually harassed by a fire captain multiple times, according to the Tribune Ledger & News.
The county fired captains Chuck Foster and Mike Malone and firefighters Chad Huff and Brandon Wilson following the investigation.
The Cherokee County Marshal’s Office assisted with the investigation, which involved interviews with more than a dozen current and former fire department employees.
Two of the there allegations were found to have merit, according to the investigation.
They include Capt. Foster making sexually charged comments and advances toward the female and one person called his actions "creepy."
One of those interviewed by investigators said of Foster: “he was the type of person that, when they spoke, would use sexual innuendos in their conversations.”
“I’ve got a bunch of good men and women out here doing a great job,” Cherokee County Fire Chief Tim Prather told the newspaper. “We’re saving lives every week and I don’t want people to lose focus of that.”
