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Group protests lack of charges in sexual incident at Atlantic City firehouse
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MAYS LANDING - A small group of activists Wednesday protested the Atlantic County prosecutor's decision not to file criminal charges in an alleged sexual incident at an Atlantic City firehouse.
Local National Action Network President Steven Young said the group was able to find several violations under state law that Prosecutor Ted Housel could have brought before a grand jury.
The allegations are that on May 15, three young women - two of them 16 years old and one 19 - 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 teens to don fire equipment, which was photographed. He then got at least one to undress and perform sexual acts. There were other firefighters present at the time.
The incident constitutes endangering the welfare of a child, criminal sexual contact and official misconduct, among other crimes, according to a release from the group.
But Housel said he already addressed those issues and found no criminal wrongdoing. The age of consent in New Jersey is 16, and the acts were consensual, he has said. 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 group has alleged "selective prosecution" because the firefighters are white and the girls are black.
Housel has denied that, saying the law is the law.
Mayor Lorenzo Langford did order an administrative investigation, which so far resulted in Williams' suspension and discipline against three others. It is ongoing, according spokesman Kevin Hall, who said the office would not release any more details until the probe is complete.
The city has also refused a Press of Atlantic City request for the names of the men on shift at Station 2 that night, citing a state statute that says "disclosure of such information would create a direct risk to the safety of persons and/or property," according to a written response from City Clerk Rosemary Adams.
City Solicitor Robert Tarver said releasing the schedule - which is more than five months old - would allow someone with "nefarious intentions" familiar with how public safety functions to figure out how the department staffs its stations.
Young countered that not releasing the names is a danger to the firefighters not involved, since the incident has "cast a shadow over the entire department."
Young, who works as Councilman Steven Moore's aide, named four men - including Williams - at a City Council meeting that was televised several times. He also put the names in fliers, and a letter to the state attorney general asking for an investigation into Housel's handling of the case.
But two of those men were not even assigned to that firehouse, and were not there that night, the investigation led by the Prosecutor's Office confirmed.
Michael Doherty and Thomas Flanagan have been harmed by Young's allegations, attorney Steven Scheffler said.
But when he asked Young to retract his statements, "his reply was he said, 'alleged and accused' so it was OK," Scheffler said. That was also what Young told The Press last month.
"Quite frankly it's not OK to slander a young fireman who's out there to protect people," Scheffler said. "For somebody who calls himself a leader, it's very irresponsible to put these young men in danger and jeopardize their safety."
Meanwhile, the seven protesters outside the Prosecutor's Office on Wednesday tried to meet with Housel, but could not get in to see him.
Reached later by The Press, Housel said he offered little hope for a sit-down with the group.
"They have called me a racist," Housel said. "Accusing someone of racism is not how you start a dialogue, it's how you end it."
Staff writer Emily Previti contributed to this report.
Contact Lynda Cohen:
609-272-7257
Posted in ATLANTIC CITY on Thursday, October 22, 2009 3:05 am
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