Atlantic City suspends firefighter in teen sex investigation

By LYNDA COHEN Staff Writer, 609-272-7257 | Posted: Wednesday, September 16, 2009 | 15 comments

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Williams "vehemently denies" the charges, his attorney said.

"Put simply, the allegations are patently false," Joseph Levin said, adding that Williams was not on duty at the time the incident allegedly took place.

Two 16-year-olds alleged in a suit filed Wednesday that Williams, 36, invited them into Station 2 for pizza in May, then had the teens touch his genitals, and sexually gratified himself in front of them and a 19-year-old woman. All three teens previously filed tort claims, court documents that allege breaches of civil law, saying they intended to sue the firefighters on duty at the time, the fire chief and the city for $5 million.

"This case is not about the allegations and purported misconduct, but rather about one thing: money," Levin said.

He noted that the claims were not made until at least a month after the alleged incident. Despite claims by the activist group National Action Network that a report was filed with the Police Department in June, Atlantic County Prosecutor Ted Housel has said there was no evidence that authorities were notified until July.

The NAN, led locally by Steve Young, has charged the investigation was slowed because the accused firefighters are white and the teens are black.

Langford is scheduled to hold a press conference today to discuss "community outrage about the slow actions" in the firehouse investigation, along with several other hot topics in the city, including the directive halting the use of police K-9s. He was in a meeting Wednesday evening and could not be reached for comment, but Hall confirmed the suspension.

An administrative probe into the incident at the Indiana and Baltic avenue station resumed last week, after the Atlantic County Prosecutor's Office found no cause for criminal charges.

All of the parties involved were at least 16 - the age of consent in New Jersey - and there was no evidence that anything was not consensual, Housel found. He also said that, because the teens were at the station as guests and not as a result of the firefighters' work, official misconduct did not apply.

Langford said at the time that he disagreed with the official misconduct decision, and indicated that administrative penalties would be enforced, which could include termination. An administrative hearing is required for that to happen, and is the next step, according to officials.

The case is politically motivated, Williams' attorney alleged.

"Clearly, Mayor Langford is politicizing the case in order to drive a wedge between the Fire Department, Police Department and the public," Levin said. "The mayor wants to weaken the fire and police departments, which did not support his bid for re-election, so it is harder for them to oppose his illegal appointment of a public safety director. It is a political power play."

The mayor could not be reached for comment Wednesday night, but a press release announcing today's news conference did make reference to the controversial position.

"Will the recent approval from City Council regarding the hiring of a Public Safety director improve the relationship between the residents and the ACPD or ACFD?" it asks.

The administration served Housel's office with a subpoena last week, asking that any statements obtained from the criminal investigation be turned over to the city. Housel immediately turned over the teens' interviews, after receiving a written guarantee that nothing be made public.

Files from the firefighters were to be turned over today, because none of their lawyers objected, Housel said Wednesday.

Staff writer Michael Clark contributed to this report.

E-mail Lynda Cohen: LCohen@pressofac.com

Posted in Breaking, Atlantic_city on Wednesday, September 16, 2009 4:35 pm Updated: 7:36 pm.