Zanesville Fire Chief Pleads Guilty to Conflict of Interest – Will Retire

UPDATE* Conflict of interest charge expunged by Muskingum County Common Pleas Court- August 27, 2019 ***UPDATE***

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ZANESVILLE, Ohio- The City of Zanesville will soon be seeking a new Fire Chief.  Mayor Jeff Tilton said Friday that Chief Eric Waltemire will be retiring effective May 24th, 2018.

Muskingum County Prosecutor Mike Haddox called in a special prosecutor after a complaint was filed with the Ohio Ethics Commission concerning Waltemire hiring his son Jacob to be a Zanesville Firefighter.

Jacob Waltemire previously served on the South Zanesville Fire Department.  The Commission determined that a charge of Conflict of  Interest was appropriate.  Haddox asked Doug Stead, the former head of the Franklin County Prosecutor’s Office Criminal Division to handle the case.

Stead said you cannot have a family member under your chain of command which would have been with case with Jacob Waltemire at the Zanesville Fire Department.  Stead said as a way to deal with the issue Jacob Waltemire resigned from the Zanesville Fire Department last week.

Eric Waltemire pleaded guilty to the charge and was fined $500 and ordered to do 40 hours of community service.  Chief Waltemire’s retirement was not required in the negotiation in the case.

Waltemire referred any comments to his Columbus Attorney Joe Edwards who says “that the chief approached a supervisor after his son had completed his test to join the department and asked if his son passed.  Brown says his client was being more of a father than a fire chief when he asked that question and he understands that it was a mistake.”  Waltemire was promoted to Chief of the department on February 6th, 2015.  He is the 19th Chief in the history of the department.

Mayor Tilton said he will soon name an interim chief and then a chief’s test will be offered to the four current assistant chief’s.  The candidate that scores the highest on the test will be the new Zanesville Fire Chief.

***UPDATE***Waltemire Conviction Expunged ***UPDATE***