Fired fire chief reinstated

Mike Arnold, who was terminated from his job as Eunice fire chief after being accused of slapping a female volunteer firefighter in the buttocks area, was reinstated Wednesday night by the Eunice Fire and Police Civil Service Board.
Arnold lost his job in January after aldermen voted 4-0 to back Mayor Rusty Moody’s recommendation to terminate the fire chief.
The five-member civil service panel voted unanimously that Arnold’s rights had been violated in the process leading up to his termination.
Specifically, the civil service panel voted Arnold had not been given a pre-disciplinary hearing or allowed to produce his own witnesses.
Vernon McManus, city attorney, argued there is no requirement that an employee be allowed to produce witnesses, but there were plenty of opportunities for Arnold to have done so.
“How can he be deprived or say that he was deprived of having witnesses if he didn’t take part in the hearing,” McManus said.
Thomas Regan, Arnold’s attorney, said the mayor and board of aldermen are required to have pre-disciplinary hearing before a recommendation to terminate a firefighter can be made.
The requirement is in the state Fireman’s Bill of Rights.
But McManus said court rulings have supplanted the bill of rights.
After the appeal hearing, Keith Vidrine, a firefighter and chairman of the civil service board, said Arnold is to be reinstated with back pay restored.
McManus said city officials will have to discuss their next action.
Arnold ran into trouble after he was accused in October of slapping a 33-year-old female volunteer on her buttocks area. The incident reportedly occurred during a break in a fire prevention presentation at Glendale Elementary.
Arnold was fired by the city council on Jan. 14 on Mayor Rusty Moody’s recommendation. The basis of the recommendation was not stated in the open meeting, but the vote followed a closed session with the mayor and aldermen.
On Jan. 26, Arnold pleaded no contest to simple battery. A no contest plea does not admit guilt.
City Judge Terry Hoychick sentenced Arnold to pay a $150 fine, $155.50 in court costs and six months. The fine and jail time were suspended and Arnold was given one year of unsupervised probation.
Also, Arnold was ordered to pay $150 to the Criminal Court Fund to defray cost of court operation and to complete five eight-hour days of community service by Feb. 26. The court did not specify the kind of community service.
The maximum penalty for simple battery is six months and $1,000.
Arnold, a former fire chief in Basile, was hired as fire chief in Eunice in November 2011.
Arnold declined to comment after the civil service board vote. Arnold’s attorney was pleased with the outcome.