当局周三表示，四名消防和救援员工因涉嫌在佛罗里达州一个消防站“暴力”欺负一名消防员而被捕。
马里恩县警长比利·伍兹(Billy Woods)表示，所谓的欺凌始于“受害者身上涂抹油脂”，并从那里升级到消防员据称被拉下内衣用皮带殴打和水刑。
“在我30年的消防员生涯中，这是我见过的向我报告的最令人震惊的事情，”马里恩县消防局长詹姆斯·班塔在周三的新闻发布会上说，并补充说他“感到震惊和恶心。”
三名马里恩县消防救援雇员爱德华·肯尼三世，22岁，急救人员;塞斯·戴，22岁，消防员/急救人员;当局称，19岁的消防员/急救人员Tate Trauthwein因绑架、抢劫和殴打被捕。当局称，第四名嫌疑人凯莉·布拉德利，25岁，是一名护理人员，因抢劫和抢劫的主犯/从犯被捕。目前还不清楚他们是否有律师。
根据逮捕宣誓书，事件发生在11月16日，据称的受害者正在奥卡拉第21消防站24小时值班。
根据证词，据称的受害者告诉当局，包括戴和特劳特魏因在内的几名消防员最初在他身上涂抹油脂。
“受害者表示，他试图不让它困扰他，没有报复，”逮捕宣誓书说。
根据逮捕宣誓书，嫌疑人在得知这名消防员有一段在抖音传播的视频后，试图获取他的手机密码，这种所谓的戏弄升级了。这位据称的受害者告诉当局，Trauthwein向他询问了他在Instagram上的大量粉丝，他认为这是抖音的一个舞蹈趋势视频，他说这是“令人尴尬的”，根据证词，他后来删除了这个视频，再也没有了。
根据证词，Trauthwein被指控将消防员的工作靴扔进附近的树林，当消防员去取回它们时，他被Kenny和Day从后面抓住并按住。
“受害者最初说，他认为他们只是在玩，”证词中写道。"共同被告Trauthwein随后解下受害者的腰带，受害者的裤子被拉下。受害者不再认为他们是在开玩笑。”
根据证词，Trauthwein被指控拿走消防员的手机并交给Bradley，然后用皮带抽打他。
“受害者建议被告询问他的手机密码，并建议如果他提供密码，他们将停止，”证词称。
根据证词，布拉德利据称试图解锁手机，并用她的手机给消防员拍照。
根据证词，这名消防员说他试图逃跑，但据称被肯尼和戴按住，而Trauthwein用毛巾捂住了他的脸。根据证词，当他挣扎着呼吸时，水被倒在毛巾上大约三次，嫌疑人据称笑了。
根据证词，这位消防队员说，他是在接到服务电话后才离开的。据伍兹说，他从来没有给他们他的手机密码。
据Banta称，四名被捕员工已被解雇。
“他们的行为，现在是严重重罪指控的主题，代表着对这个职业所代表的一切的令人不安的侵犯，”班塔在新闻发布会上说。“所发生的事情是不可接受的，不可原谅的，从根本上违背了我们消防部门的核心价值观。”
“让我绝对明确地说，在他们选择了一种危及、伤害和背叛一名消防队员的行为和方式的那一刻，这些卷入这起事件的个人就丧失了穿制服的权利，”他继续说道。"他们的行为并没有反映出我们是谁以及我们的立场."
当局说，据称的受害者是一名19岁的消防员，在事件发生时已经为该部门工作了大约五个月。班塔说，这名消防员的名字还没有公布，他仍在工作。
“他尽职尽责。有人向他提供了休假的机会，但他拒绝了。他的原话是，他有工作要做，”班塔说。
班塔说，11月19日有人向他报告了这一事件。马里恩县治安官办公室随后被联系进行调查。
“作为一名消防员的儿子，我很失望，”伍兹在简报会上说。
班塔说，除了刑事案件之外，马里恩县消防救援队正在审查治安官办公室的调查，以确定是否有必要对事故发生时知道或在场的其他人采取任何行政措施。他说，该机构还将对领导层进行再培训，并在电视台重申，这种类型的活动是不能容忍的。
“我们前进的首要任务是确保这个部门的每个成员在一个安全、尊重和专业的环境中工作，”班塔说。
4 first responders arrested over alleged hazing of 19-year-old firefighter
Four fire and rescue employees have been arrested in connection with the alleged "violent" hazing of a firefighter at a Florida fire station, authorities said Wednesday.
The alleged hazing began with "grease being smeared on the victim" and escalated from there to the firefighter allegedly being beaten with a belt with his underwear pulled down and waterboarded, according to Marion County Sheriff Billy Woods.
"In my 30 years as a firefighter, this is the most egregious thing that I've seen been reported to me," Marion County Fire Chief James Banta said during a press briefing on Wednesday, adding that he was "in shock and disgusted."
Three Marion County Fire Rescue employees -- Edward Kenny III, 22, an EMT; Seth Day, 22, a firefighter/EMT; and Tate Trauthwein, 19 a firefighter/EMT -- have been arrested for kidnapping, robbery and battery, authorities said. A fourth -- Kaylee Bradley, 25, a paramedic -- has been arrested for robbery and principal/accessory to robbery, authorities said. It is unclear if they have attorneys at this time.
The incident occurred while the alleged victim was working a 24-hour shift at Fire Station 21 in Ocala on Nov. 16, according to the arrest affidavit.
The alleged victim told authorities that several firefighters -- including Day and Trauthwein -- initially smeared grease on him, according to the affidavit.
"The victim stated he tried not to let it bother him and did not retaliate," the arrest affidavit stated.
The alleged hazing escalated after the suspects tried to get the firefighter's cellphone password after they learned he had a viral TikTok video, according to the arrest affidavit. The alleged victim told authorities that Trauthwein asked him about his large Instagram following, which he attributed to a TikTok video on a dancing trend that he said was "embarrassing" and he had since deleted and no longer had, according to the affidavit.
Trauthwein is accused of then throwing the firefighter's work boots into the woods nearby, and when the firefighter went to retrieve them, he was allegedly grabbed from behind and held down by Kenny and Day, according to the affidavit.
"The victim advised initially he thought they were just playing around," the affidavit stated. "Co-defendant Trauthwein then removed the victim's belt and the victim's pants were pulled down. The victim no longer thought they were playing around."
Trauthwein is accused of taking the firefighter's cellphone and handing it to Bradley, then whipping him with the belt, according to the affidavit.
"The victim advised the defendants asked for his cell phone password and advised they would stop if he provided the password," the affidavit stated.
Bradley allegedly tried to unlock the cellphone and took pictures of the firefighter with her phone, according to the affidavit.
The firefighter said he tried to get away but was allegedly held down by Kenny and Day while Trauthwein put a towel over his face, according to the affidavit. Water was then poured onto the towel approximately three times as he struggled to breathe and the suspects allegedly laughed, according to the affidavit.
The firefighter said he was only let go when a service call came in and he left, according to the affidavit. He never gave them his cellphone password, according to Woods.
The four arrested employees have been terminated, according to Banta.
"Their actions, now the subject of serious felony charges, represent a disturbing violation of everything that this profession stands for," Banta said during the press briefing. "What occurred was unacceptable, inexcusable and fundamentally contrary to the core values of our fire department."
"Let me be absolutely clear, these individuals involved in this incident forfeited their right to wear the uniform the moment they chose an act and manner that endangered, harmed and betrayed a fellow firefighter," he continued. "Their behavior does not reflect who we are and what we stand for."
The alleged victim is a 19-year-old firefighter who had been working for the department for about five months at the time of the incident, authorities said. The firefighter, whose name has not been released, remains on the job, Banta said.
"He's diligent in doing his job. He's been offered the ability to take some time, in which he's refused. His exact words were, he has a job to do," Banta said.
Banta said the incident was reported to him on Nov. 19. The Marion County Sheriff's Office was subsequently contacted to investigate.
"Being the son of a firefighter myself, it is disappointing," Woods said during the briefing.
In addition to the criminal case, Marion County Fire Rescue is reviewing a sheriff's office investigation to determine if any administrative actions are necessary for others who were aware of or present during the incident, Banta said. The agency is also going to retrain leadership and reaffirm in stations that this type of activity is not tolerated, he said.
"Our priority moving forward is ensuring that every member of this department works in a safe, respectful and professional environment," Banta said.
