Four fire and rescue workers have been arrested after allegedly waterboarding a teenage recruit as part of a hazing ritual.
Marion County Sheriff Billy Woods told reporters Wednesday the violent stunt involved grease being smeared on the victim, who was allegedly beaten with a belt after his pants were pulled down.
During the press conference, James Banta, the county fire chief, described the incident as the “most egregious thing” that has been reported to him in his 30 years as a firefighter.
Three Marion County Rescue Employees, including Edward Kenny III, 22; Seth Day, 22; and Tate Trauthwein, 19, have been charged with kidnapping, robbery and battery in connection with the incident. Kaylee Bradley, a 25-year-old paramedic, has also been arrested for robbery and being an accessory to robbery. All four have been fired.
According to a public statement, released by the sheriff’s office alongside the press briefing, the incident took place on November 16 while the unnamed victim was working at Fire Station 21 in Ocala.
During his shift, he was allegedly smeared with grease but tried to continue working as normal, according to an arrest affidavit seen by ABC News.
The elder firefighters became aggressive and began chasing the victim through a car park, in an effort to gain access to his phone it is claimed.
The group wanted to access the device so they could view a viral TikTok video which the victim had starred in, according to the affidavit.
When the trainee refused to give up his password, Trauthwein allegedly threw the victim’s boots into a nearby wood. Kenny and Day then pulled the trainee to the ground and held him in place, when he went to retrieve his shoes.
"The victim advised initially he thought they were just playing around," the affidavit stated. "Co-defendant Trauthwein then removed the victim's belt and the victim's pants were pulled down.”
Trauthwein allegedly started beating the trainee with the belt in order to get him to reveal the password to the phone, which had been handed over to Bradley. When they failed to get access to the device, Bradley took photos of the victim on her own phone.
Trauthwein later held a towel over the recruit’s face, while his accomplices poured water onto the cloth, in an act simulating waterboarding, the sheriff’s office said.
The victim was released when a service call came in. The suspects were arrested after the trainee reported the incident three days later.
During Wednesday’s press conference, Marion County Fire Chief Banta said that the attack represented a “disturbing violation of everything this profession stands for.”
"Let me be absolutely clear, these individuals involved in this incident forfeited their right to wear the uniform the moment they chose an act and manner that endangered, harmed and betrayed a fellow firefighter," he added. "Their behavior does not reflect who we are and what we stand for."
According to Banta, the unnamed recruit declined the opportunity to take time off to recover.
"He's diligent in doing his job,” Banta said. “He's been offered the ability to take some time, in which he's refused. His exact words were, he has a job to do.”
