Community Corner

Police Report Indicates Lack of Evidence in Fire Chief Accusations

The Southington Police Department report released Friday indicated that while Fire Chief Harold Clark reached for volunteer firefighter Steven Bull's badge, there was no intent to injure or struggle between the two to justify charges.

Volunteer firefighter Steven Bull told police that Harold “Buddy” Clark acted unprofessional, swearing and grabbing his wrist as he demanded to have Bull return his entry tag during a June 11 fire, but a police investigation determined their was not enough contact or struggle to justify filing criminal charges.

The 10-page police report, released by Mark Sciota on Friday afternoon, detailed the incident that led to the eventual criminal investigation against Clark. Witness statements were varied on the incident, leading police to close the case without an arrest.
 
“I was not able to locate any witness to corroborate the alleged events reported by Steven Bull,” Lt. Michael Shanley wrote in the report. “In his own admission, he said that Captain Kurtz was the only person that was in that area when the incident between Bull and Chief Clark occurred.”

Shanley reported that Peter Kurtz, the fire captain who served as the incident commander during a June 11 fire at 26 Darling St., told officers he could not hear the conversation, but did not see any physical contact between Bull and Clark. He said Bull walked away without holding his arm or wrist and neither appeared to be confrontational.

The Southington Police Department initiated an investigation in mid-June after Bull, a volunteer firefighter with , complained that he had been assaulted and his right wrist injured in an incident between himself and Clark.

Let Patch save you time. Get great local stories like this delivered right to your inbox or smartphone every day with our free newsletter. Simple, fast sign-up here.

In his statement to police, the report said Bull told officers that Clark was “acting unprofessional” and swearing at officers. After confronting Bull about stopping to talk with firefighter John Solury about ventilation, he said Clark grabbed his wrist and demanded he return his entry tag.

“Bull told Chief Clark that he had a problem and to let go of his wrist at which time Chief Clark responded ‘You have a problem now’,” the report said. “Bull told Chief Clark to let go of his wrist again and that he would give the tag. Chief Clark took the tag and told Bull that he was dismissed from the fire scene.”

But Shanley writes that while Bull made several accusations against Clark, there were no witnesses to the incident other than Kurtz. When interviewed, Kurtz told officers the two never appeared confrontational and were not in each other’s face.

Kurtz said he was about 15 feet away and could not hear the conversation.

Following the alleged incident, police said that Bull, a volunteer firefighter since 1992, told his commanding officer about the alleged confrontation and said he was going to the Hospital of Central Connecticut, Bradley campus for x-rays.

Police noted that when Bull requested the investigation, he was able to provide discharge papers but had no redness or apparent swelling of the wrist.

When officers spoke to Clark regarding the incident, the report said he denied the fact that the confrontation involved physical contact other than an “incidental contact between my left hand and his right wrist as I reached for the badge.”

Clark said the conversation was centered on the fact that Bull had not returned his badge and was not where he was supposed to be during the fire. The report said Clark told Bull that it was more important that he was accounted for and reached for the badge, at which time Bull began swearing and telling Clark not to touch him.

“I told him ‘I am not touching you, I am taking your tag’,” Clark is quoted as saying in the report. “The only contact that was made happened when I reached my left hand for his entry tag and our hands touched. There was no struggle or significant contact.”

.

Shanley said although he found no probable cause for the arrest, he submitted the report to New Britain State’s Attorney Brian Preleski for review and the state’s attorney responded, saying they did not find enough evidence to support any criminal violations.

Sciota said this week that the police findings are a starting point for an internal investigation, which was initiated . Sciota was unsure how long the internal investigation would take, but said he would provide his findings to the Board of Fire Commissioners as soon as the investigation is complete.

He said it is common practice for the town to conduct an internal investigation anytime a town official is involved in a police matter, even if no arrest is made.

"The internal investigation is ongoing and I cannot discuss the matter further at this time," Sciota said.

Clark on Monday said he would not be commenting on the case.

The Board of Fire Commissioners hopes that with the completion of the criminal investigation, they can now begin to resolve unfinished business related to the incident. Bull, a volunteer who helps fill a daytime need, has been on suspension since .

Commissioner Dolores Longo said she wants answers to why he was suspended, when he will be allowed to return and why it took for members of the board to find out about the suspension in the first place.

"I'm unhappy with the way this whole thing has gone down and I want answers," Longo, a longtime public servant and politician in Southington, said this week. "It seems this whole situation was not handled properly."

Make sure to like Southington Patch on Facebook or follow on Twitter for breaking news, daily updates and more!

Find out what's happening in Southingtonwith free, real-time updates from Patch.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here