13 WTHR IndianapolisFirefighters drop appeals

Indianapolis - Two Indianapolis firefighters accused of questionable behavior at a Kid Rock concert last August dropped their appeals and will now serve suspensions without pay.

"They were very sorry for their actions," said IFD Chief Brian Sanford. He was referring to letters of apology from two high-ranking Indianapolis firefighters who expressed regret about a night of drinking and rowdy behavior at a Kid Rock concert that was supposed to honor one of their own killed in Iraq.

Captain Jerry Martin was accused of groping a female and punching her husband. Martin initially faced an eight-shift suspension without pay for conduct unbecoming and failure to be truthful. The violations stand. The discipline is now reduced to two 24-hour shifts.

Lt. Richard Mann was cited for failure to be truthful. Mann will now serve 24 hours off without pay instead of a five-shift suspension.

"The urination, the groping of the females, and the throwing of the punch was not substantiated in the report," said Chief Sanford. "There was some intoxication to some level by a couple of firefighters. There was some untruthful reporting, possibly with the intent of skewing the investigation."

Sanford says the full discipline could be reinstated if the firefighters get into any more trouble this year.

Firefighters Lieutenant Scott Gates and Lieutenant Scott Huff also received reduced suspensions with similar stipulations. Noblesville Police dropped the criminal case, saying the alleged victims were satisfied with IFD's discipline.

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