2 volunteer firefighters suspended following DWIs
Dec. 8—LUMBERTON — Two volunteer firefighters have been suspended from local fire departments after DWI charges, according to Robeson County Attorney Rob Davis.
Robeson County sent out a message this week to Orrum Township Volunteer and Fairmont Rural fire departments that indicated the county would take action and pull funding and pension benefits from the departments if departments did not take action in suspending Melquan Williams and Kenneth Caulder Jr., who both face DWI and arson charges, Davis said. The men also have a 30-day drivers license revocation.
Both men had been suspended Tuesday afternoon, he said.
Williams served as deputy fire chief and was to become fire chief of the department in January. Caulder served as assistant fire chief.
The men will be suspended until charges have been resolved or following a six-month suspension, according to Fairmont Rural Chief Rod Heasley.
Caulder was suspended as of Dec. 4, according to Steve Britt, chief of Orrum Township Volunteer Fire Department.
Caulder and Williams were charged with DWI and had their license revoked following a crash enroute to a fire Nov. 27. Caulder wrecked his Jeep, and Williams was following him when the crash occurred. Both men were driving personal vehicles, according to the State Highway Patrol.
Arson charges are pending from a case in 2018 in which the men were among 10 firefighters with Fairmont Rural and Orrum Township Volunteer fire departments charged with setting fires.
Caulder was charged with six counts of felony arson, burning church, uninhabited house, store, two counts of felony setting fire to grass, brush, woods, and seven counts of felony conspiracy. He will appear in court on arson charges on Jan. 14 and on Jan. 20 for the DWI charge.
Williams lost his job as a Maxton police officer in 2018 after the arson investigation, of which received charges of one count each of felony arson, burning church, uninhabited house, store, and felony conspiracy. He will appear in court Jan. 7 for arson charges and Jan. 20 for DWI.
Heasley said he received information Tuesday from the department's insurance agency, which stated the agency will not renew coverage of the department which "runs out in March."
"Obviously, we can't operate without insurance," Heasley said.
The county sent out an email after it learned that the men continued to work on the departments after the charges because of liability reasons, Davis said.
"They responded positively," Davis said of the departments.
Fire departments must be "compliant with state laws," he said. Members with pending charges such as arson and DWI are not compliant.
Davis said the county also will take a look at the fire department bylaws in the future. The bylaws should not have allowed the men to continue serving on the departments, he said.
"Our option was to stop funding and stop worker's compensation coverage. This would have put them in default of their contract with the county. We would then have had the option to cancel the contract until the department had made satisfactory and acceptable changes," Davis said.
According to multiple sources, the Fairmont Rural Fire Department's Board of Directors held a meeting Nov. 30 in which it voted to prevent Williams from becoming chief and to suspend him from his position. In the meeting following the board's, the fire department's members secured a majority of votes and voted to overturn the board's motion.
Heasley told The Robesonian that not all of the department's members voted to overturn the board decision.
The Robesonian has learned since that meeting, three board members have resigned.
Reach Jessica Horne at 910-416-5165 or via email at [email protected]
