Portsmouth Fire Department Allows an Employee Indicted for 2 Felonies to Stay on the Job?
Lt Alex Hamilton of the Portsmouth Fire Department was allegedly driving under the influence on the evening of Wednesday, January 11. He caused severe injuries when he hit someone head-on while traveling on State Route 104.
There are five charges against Hamilton, including two felonies. The case number is 23CR000145 in the Court of Common Pleas.
Hamilton has been indicted for: Aggravated Vehicular Assault, Vehicular Assault (both felony charges), and 3 counts of OVI.
Below is a copy of the crash report.
Reports sent to SCDN indicate that Hamilton still works at the Portsmouth Fire Department.
According to jail records, Hamilton has never been booked since the incident.
SCDN is working to obtain the body camera footage from the Ohio State Patrol troopers who responded to the scene. We will provide you with that footage as soon as it is received.
Shortly after this story was published, the IAFF Local 9 union representing Hamilton stated, “He has been on administrative leave and has not worked, been on the premises, or “been actively on the job” since the incident, per disciplinary policy and union contract.”
An administrative leave generally entails a temporary suspension of employment but with standard benefits and pay.
The IAFF Local 9 confirmed this by saying, “Per policy and union contract, it has been paid administrative leave.”
Another twist came when we were informed by a new source that Alex Hamilton may be an officeholder of the IAFF Local 9 union. So, it could have been Hamilton making the comments on behalf of the union.
SCDN will continue to try and untangle this story and will bring updates as they become available.
