Volunteer Firefighter a Registered Sex Offender

—- Update: National Volunteer Fire Council Response—-

We spoke with David Finger, Director of Government Relations for the National Volunteer Fire Council.
 
He says there are no federal guidelines about what is an acceptable background for a volunteer firefighter.
   
Finger also says the National Fire Council doesn’t have the authority to tell a fire department what to do if a background check shows that a volunteer is a convicted sex offender.
   
But he did say this about firefighters:
 
“These are folks trusted to go into homes and interact with people who are extremely vulnerable,” said Finger, “from a common sense, perspective having a registered sex offender as a volunteer firefighter sounds like a bad idea at best.“

—- 11/13/08 6 O’clock Broadcast—-

Nine on Your Side has discovered that a firefighter here in the East is a registered sex offender. A viewer called our newsroom saying they recognized the Red Oak Firefighter from Pitt County when they were checking the North Carolina Sex Offender Registry. We did some checking and sure enough 2nd Captain Robert O’Neal is listed as a sex offender. Our Laura Vesco investigated his charges and asked the chief tough questions about his firefighter.

For decades Robert O’Neal has volunteered with the Red Oak Volunteer Fire Department in Pitt County and he now gets paid for some of his duties there. Fire Chief Chad Singleton says O’Neal first joined in 1987.

In 2003, O’Neal was put on administrative leave after he was charged with indecent liberty with a child, communicating threats, three counts of solicitation prostitution and two counts of crime against nature.  O’Neal ultimately served a little over a year behind bars as a result.

Chief Singleton says when O’Neal returned from jail, he requested to come back to the Red Oak Fire Department in Pitt County. At the time of his offense, Singleton says there weren’t any rules that stated a person with a felony wasn’t allowed to volunteer. 

So the entire membership voted on whether or not O’Neal was allowed back with the department.  The vote passed allowing O’Neal to come back.

Fire Chief Singleton has now written rules for Red Oak Volunteer Fire Department in Pitt County that requires a background check and anyone with a felony is not allowed on the department. As of today O’Neal is still working and volunteering for the department.

Chief Singleton has assured us that O’Neal does not teach fire prevention at any of our schools. We also think it is important to point out that a reporter of ours, Andrew Doud is a volunteer firefighter with the Red Oak Fire Department in Pitt County. To ensure fairness in our reporting, we want you to know that Andrew is not working on this story in any way.

—- Original Story—-

A firefighter with the Red Oak Volunteer Fire Department in Pitt County is a registered sex offender. According to the North Carolina registered sex offender website, Robert ONeal served jail time from November 2003 until March 2005.

Chief Chad Singleton says ONeal joined the Red Oak Volunteer Fire Department in Pitt County in 1987. When he was charged with indecent liberty with a child, communicating threats, prostitution, and crimes against nature, ONeal was put on administrative leave. 

Chief Singleton says after he served his time ONeal asked to come back to the department. Singleton says when this incident occured there were not any rules or stipulations for those who volunteered. In 2005 the entire membership at the department took a vote and allowed him to come back.

Chief Singleton has now written new guidelines, regulations and rules for the department that requires a background check. He says they will not hire volunteers with any felonies on their record. The new laws are not retroactive.

Singleton says ONeal does not teach fire prevention at any schools.

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Nine On Your Side’s Andrew Doud volunteers at the Red Oak Volunteer Fire Department in Pitt County.  His work there in no way contributed to this report or any subsequent follow-ups to it.

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