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Group protests lack of criminal charges in Atlantic City firehouse investigation
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MAYS LANDING -- Members of the local National Action Network gathered outside the Atlantic County Prosecutor's Office today to protest a decision not to file criminal charges in an alleged sexual incident at an Atlantic City firehouse.
The allegations are that on a night in May, four young women -- two of them 16 years old -- entered Station 2 at Baltic and Indiana avenues, after Firefighter Richard Williams invited them in for pizza earlier that day. He then allegedly got at least one of the women to undress and at least one to touch his genitals. There were other firefighters present at the time. Williams, along with the two captains on duty and the man on watch, were disciplined in an administrative investigation that is ongoing.
Steven Young, the South Jersey chapter's president, said the group was able to find several violations under state law that Prosecutor Ted Housel could have brought before a grand jury.
"If we can do this research and find criminal acts, what's wrong with the prosecutor?" Young asked.
The seven people gathered tried to meet with Housel during their one-hour stand that began at noon, but he was out to lunch. Young said he left his number for the prosecutor.
In rendering his decision not to prosecute, Housel said his investigators found no criminal conduct. The age of consent in New Jersey is 16, he pointed out. And, although the men were working, official misconduct does not apply because the women were visitors, and not there as part of the firefighters' duties.
The National Action Network has named four men -- including Williams -- allegedly involved in the incident, but the lawyer of one of those men said his client wasn't even at the firehouse that night. The investigation confirmed this.
Young said his group named the men because there is a cloud over the entire department as a result of the allegations.
The Press of Atlantic City requested the shift schedule from the night in question, but the city denied it citing a state statute that says "a disclosure of such information would create a risk to persons and/or property."
But the city solicitor could not be reached today to answer how a past shift list would endanger anyone.
Young -- who has been complimentary of Mayor Lorenzo Langford's handling of the case -- said he did not agree with that decision.
"It's a point of public safety by not knowing who the individuals are involved," he said. "Now, every firefighter in Atlnatic City has a cloud on his head."
Posted in Breaking, Atlantic_city on Wednesday, October 21, 2009 1:20 pm Updated: 1:30 pm.
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