SLED: Upstate Fire Department Under Criminal Investigation
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By Jonathan Carlson
Published: November 21, 2008
It’s a fire district under siege.
Chief David Culbreth and the Board Of Commissioners are facing a criminal investigation.
The State Law Enforcement division is probing the department’s finances and practices.
SLED says it received a complaint in August regarding allegations of breach of trust and embezzlement.
It was the subject of a heated board meeting Tuesday, and we asked the chief if criminal activity had or was taking place.
“There’s no money missing at all,“ he said.
Firefighters have told NewsChannel 7 their retirement funds were missing money for months.
The chief blamed that and the SLED investigation on bad bookkeeping, and says he is making accounting improvements to correct things.
“I haven’t been chief but 18 months, it just takes a long time to reorganize what’s going on,“ said Chief Culbreth.
But some within and outside the department are skeptical.
Jeff Knight told us, “The biggest thing everybody is upset about is the reputation of the fire department.“
Knight has family in the department. He is also the brother of former chief Danny Knight. At tuesday’s meeting bad blood was evident between the Knight family and Chief Culbreth. But knight vows, this isn’t a vendetta. He says firefighters are truly concerned.
“There’s nothing personal at all, the only thing that concerns me is the name of that fire department and the taxpayers of this community.“
No current firefighters would talk on camera about what they see going on, because they claim, the chief has threatened to fire anyone who talks about the investigation.
Chief Culbreth told us he is not going to talk about this case anymore. He says he is tired of the fighting back and forth. He says he is confident the SLED investigation will show nothing improper.
SLED says it is close to completing the investigation.
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Reader Reactions
Posted by ( trk182 ) on November 24, 2008 at 2:04 pm
Ok people, I think round one should end. Too many back and forth arguments. I think everyone has heard both sides. So, let’s see what SLED say’s. If they find evidence of wrongdoing, then we can start round two. Heck, I’ll even ring the bell, but for now, let’s just stop all the bickering back and forth. Oh and by the way, i don’t work for the fire or ems out there, but i am a tax payer.
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Posted by ( tami9484 ) on November 21, 2008 at 10:15 pm
Yes, anyone that works or has worked at WFFD knows who my husband is and most also know me. I did not use a screen name that would TRY to hide my identity. I’ll take my chances as far as identity goes. I did not get in this conversation to play the blame game. I did this to only bring to light the issues with my husband’s gear. Yes, my husband has worked for this dept 3 times now. Funny how people keep wanting him back isn’t it??? What is even more interesting is that once “certain people” have left the dept, you sure don’t hear their phone ringing to ask them to come back. You know who I am, you know who my husband is if you have any further questions about his gear, please just give us a call. I’m sure you have his cell number. As I have said before, SLED will get to the issues at hand and let’s leave people’s minor aged children out of this. Anyone that is complaining about child care can not say that they have NEVER taken care of personal business on the job. We are all human and are not perfect, and most don’t claim to be. Mama always told me that if you sit back and listen, people will eventually tell on themselves.
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Posted by ( DDF ) on November 21, 2008 at 8:30 pm
I will man up to my mistakes or wrong doings!!!!!!!! Unlike Dave….......
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Posted by ( DDF ) on November 21, 2008 at 8:25 pm
Sorry for not spelling chief right, I pressed change all on my spell chk.
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Posted by ( DDF ) on November 21, 2008 at 7:52 pm
This is to tamie9484, by the way ssk is not Slim. I also know who you are because your husband has worked with the department three times before. The first day working at WFFD he worked with Slim on ladder 21, so please get the facts straight before you call people out or place blame. As far as the fire department issues, The current administration is the issue. Everyone involved should be fired. This department has done nothing but go down hill since the former cheif was let go. WFFD is the laughing stock of the county. Neighboring departments wonder if they call for an engine company if they will get an ambulance. WFFD has not been a fire department since David has taken over, more of a EMS department. There have been more Fire Fighters quit in the past two years since David has been Cheif than the ten when Danny Knight was Cheif…Do the math!!! Sounds like WFFD made a huge mistake and they need to get Cheif Knight back. Everyone needs to be on the look out for a red ford ranger 2 door with a camper top that has WFFD patches on the door that the cheif drives to do electrical jobs for his personal buisness. The truck has been seen many times in Roebuck and not near where he lives. This is the tax payers money being wasted, something needs to be done. Scott isn’t innocent either. He needs a minivan for all the car seats he carries around. I hope both get what they deserve, and pay for all the money they have taken from the department and the county. Maybe one day the department will be something respectable again. But I believe that will only happen when David is gone. And finally If any one looks into WFFD finances they will see this was not an inherited problem, Cheif Knight was audited yearly and the records are open to the public under the freedom of information act. David is trying to make sure people don’t look at these records by charging $1500.00, wonder where the money would go. Now tami9484 rethink who ssk is.
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Posted by ( ffmom ) on November 21, 2008 at 1:04 pm
I am a mom of one of westview’s fireman. I also used to be very involved in that fire department many years ago. My daddy was a fireman, as was my in-laws. The things that have been said about Danny Knight I find very hard to believe. Unless he has changed a whole lot, which I don’t think he has, I don’t think he took anything from that dept. If he’s guilty of anything it is giving too much of his time and energy and devotion to WFFD.
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Posted by ( Redman ) on November 21, 2008 at 10:30 am
I have been reading alot of the comments everyone has been posting, but I have yet to read about ( well lets see ) Scott Garrett having a car seat in a fire dept. funded vehicle. I have yet to read how Dave Culbreth has been seen on a construction site in his fire dept. funded vehicle doing electrical work while being paid by WFFD. I have seen the purchase orders my self where both of these so called CHIEFS have used a WFFD company credit card and purchased many meals, motel rooms ect. I know that ever since dave has taken over the morale of the dept. has hit rock bottom, I bet if everyone that has passed on who helped start WFFD could see it now they would turn and walk away in shame. WFFD has always been a great dept. and well respected but as of late all it is, is a joke. Dave thinks people like and respect him, well you have to earn that. No one has mentioned yet how not only has dave taken over all of WFFD’S money and is blowing it, but now he is trying his best to take over all of the county rescue squad’s. He has held several rescue meeting with the remaining squads and he is trying to take them over, he is trying to get every squad to let him be in charge of thier billing, suppies, feul and insurance. ( Hum ) sounds to me like he wants control of all of the rescue squads money as well, if you don’t think this is happening as we speak contact your local rescue squad and ask them, or contact the man doing it. This man has to be stopped, he is money hungry. Dave Culbreth has bragged for years how he has money, stocks and CD’S in the bank, everyone I have ever met like that only has one thing on there mind ( how can I make more money )(GREED). Ever since Dave And Scott took over WFFD has lost sight of Firefighting, it has done nothing but become a mini EMS system. The firefighters of WFFD have done nothing for the past two years as fare as firefighting training goes, but have held at least 6 EMS classes. The guys are tired of all of these classes. You see every class the guys are made to attend, well they don’t get paid for. The guys are not allowed to take any class while on duty, they have to attend off duty which affects them by not being able to work their part time jobs. The guys get nothing from this at all, by law any time the FD requires you to attend anything off duty they have to compensate them for their time, weather it be by pay, or paided time off. If you don’t think this is true call the labor board they will explain it to you, in other words they are breaking the law ( look it up ). The tax payers of the fire dist. need to get up off their couches and start getting involved. It is your hard earned money going to waste, I know I see it every day. Please if you care about the fire dept. at all start standing up for it, don’t praise the guys even though they do deserve it but start getting involved by helping these guys ( DON’T SING IT BRING IT ). Get out in the public and talk to your neighbors, family and friends, come to the commisioners meeting they are held every month on the 3rd tuesday at 7pm. at 4247 Anderson Mill Rd. Sta.2, Please people if you want to help these guys stop talking on here about it and bring it out to the public.
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Posted by ( tami9484 ) on November 20, 2008 at 11:16 pm
My, my, my….people always want to have the last say. I too am the wife of a FF/Paramedic at WFFD. I too love my husband and pray for his saftey and the saftey of his co-workers. Let me start with this…yes WFFD is in a mess. Yes, WFFD has it’s own fair share of problems BUT…a little action is better than NO action. People just need to calm down and understand that SLED will get to the bottom of this and anything else that has been handled in the wrong manner. The name of a Fire Dept is not what makes it great…it’s the people who serve that make it what it is. It’s not the administration, past or present that make a Fire Dept…it’s the people who SERVE! The issues at hand need to be resolved. The mud-slinging needs to stop. Past cheif’s, present cheif’s if there is wrong doing , SLED will find it. People always want to kick and scream when everything seems to be falling apart. The morale could be better but I seriously doubt that a single one of us have ever worked somewhere that everyone was happy all of the time. Proper equipment and saftey measures are in place now. And if it’s something that is not in place yet, you can bet that measures are being taken to ensure the placement of anything serious! As for the turnout gear issue…..IT DID HAPPEN! My husband is the FF that had his gear DUCT TAPED together at the Dante’s fire. His gear was broken before the fire and the issue was brought to the attention of the appropriate personel. Nothing was done. Then during this massive fire, my husband could not even keep his gear up so, the Cheif from another fire dept and his shift partner duct taped his suspenders together with a carabineer and the duct tape. This is not false information, this is not a rumor spread to discredit past administration. It is FACT. So, Slim, if you’re going to get on here and try to make things out to be false, try another screen name…anyone that has been aroud WFFD for any length of time knows who you are.
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Posted by ( ssk728 ) on November 20, 2008 at 2:23 pm
Thank goodness that was your last response, st54. No one is doubts the grat job the firemen, EMT’s, & paramedics do. The firemen and the tax payers are the #1 concern. It is the actions of the administration & commission board that is the subject at hand. So obviously by your comments, you think it is ok that the administration not pay their payroll taxes, not send in the firemen’s money deducted from their pay for their retirement, and not send in the child support checks? That doesn’t sound like to me that the admin/commissioners are supporting the firemen, EMT’s, & paramedics. Anyone who thinks that is ok and that they are doing a good job is out of their mind!! How can you say the firemen stay at their job because they too are greedy. That is ridiculous! They are all supporting families. The allegations are that David is embezzeling money that is not his. I can’t even believe you have compared the 2.
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Posted by ( st54 ) on November 20, 2008 at 11:28 am
This will be my last post regarding this issue. I’m going to let SLED and the WFFD administration do their jobs, themselves. I agree with blah11. You’re correct let’s not forget what is important…serving and protecting the WF commnity. However, to Freedom 1 and 4pwr, if you are as miserable as you seem to be, you need to address that. I, for one think, it is EXTREMELY tacky to have aired what you “believe” to be WFFD business in the manner you did. Especially since at least one of you (4pwr) will continue to report for work every third day needing those same people that you castrated to assist in certain tasks at the station. You speak of CHIEF Culbreth as being “greedy” however the reason you admit that you continue to stay is because of $$$.
I don’t know the information that you two posted to be true or not true. That is why I didn’t/won’t address it. However, it’s like this. What do you guys do all day….sit around and watch for ever possible “shortcoming” that you can find. As the old saying goes—if you look for something you WILL find it.
I’m not going to address specifics. I think the current situation is bad enough(SLED). I continue to believe that Chief Culbreth and WFFD will be cleared of ALL charges.
In closing I’d like to add that certain opinions can wear off on other people around you. As they say it only takes one bad apple to bring everybody else down.
As far as speaking for my husband….PLEASE!!! I CAN have an opinion without the recruiting of my husbands.
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