Ex-firefighter pleads no contest to damaging

staff report

YOUNGSTOWN — In a plea agreement, a former city firefighter pleaded no contest to criminal damaging, and an arson charge was dismissed.

Patrick George, 34, of Eden Lane, entered his plea Tuesday in municipal court. Judge Robert A. Douglas Jr. ordered a background check and will sentence George on Feb. 19. He faces up to 90 days in jail and $750 fine.

George, one of three partners in a trash-container business, was accused last September of burning a computer owned by the business. Fire Chief John J. O’Neill Jr. fired George, an 11-year department veteran, in mid-October.

“You have tarnished the image of the Youngstown Fire Department by your actions on Sept. 26, and have destroyed the confidence that your co-workers and city leaders have in you to serve and protect our community,” the chief wrote to George.

George, who earned $50,927 in base salary last year, filed a grievance to be reinstated as a firefighter.

Last month, George pleaded no contest in municipal court to a driving-under-the-influence charge that was filed Oct. 30. He was fined $375, placed on one year’s probation and permitted to attend a three-day driver’s intervention program. His license is suspended until April 29.

During the summer, O’Neill suspended George for two weeks “because you left the station without authorization. Your explanation of your actions at that time largely related to your personal off-the-job issues with the company of which you are a part-owner.”