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Fire marshal steps in today
The new fire marshal comes from Orlando and has 27 years of fire department experience.
By By ABBIE VANSICKLE
Published June 16, 2006
TAMPA - After more than a year of searching, Hillsborough County Fire Rescue has hired a fire marshal.
William S. Walthour, who is retired from the Orlando Fire Department, will fill the position left vacant by Randy Hinder, who was fired in March 2005.
Walthour, with 27 years of fire department experience, served as both assistant fire marshal and fire marshal for Orlando, according to Fire Rescue spokesman Bill Watson.
He will be introduced to his staff today at the Hillsborough County Fire Rescue Prevention Division.
In recent times, the job has been associated with scandal. In 2004, then-county Fire Marshal Donald Goff abruptly retired during an FBI investigation of his pornographic Internet activities with children.
He pleaded guilty in 2005 to federal charges of possessing child pornography and transferring obscene materials to a minor. He was sentenced to 37 months in federal prison.
He had pornographic Web links on his computer at work and visited personal ad sites during work hours.
Hinder, Goff's replacement, was fired because he "promoted mistrust and suspicious feelings among his employees," fire Chief William Nesmith said. Hinder had also been accused of sexually harassing two fire department employees.
Abbie VanSickle can be reached at 226-3373 or vansickle@sptimes.com.
[Last modified June 16, 2006, 05:57:04]
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