Colorado Firefighter’s Prank Will Be Costly

Posted by: Curt Varone August 26, 2011 11 Comments

A Colorado firefighter is facing criminal charges and departmental discipline following a prank he played on a fellow firefighter. Firefighter Kevin Adler, 38, a 13 year veteran of the Greeley Fire Department, allegedly put sugar in the gas tank of fellow firefighter Greg Holmes, causing between $2,000 and $3,000 damage.

The incident occurred on August 14, 2011 while Holmes was working overtime. News reports indicate that a romantic jealousy may have been the motive behind the prank, and that it may be connected to a similar prank that damaged the vehicle of another firefighter, Jay Oster, last May.

Both Holmes and Oster allegedly dated firefighter Alicia Matt. Matt has given investigators text messages that Adler sent to her linking him to the vandalism. Alder, who is married with two children, is charged with criminal mischief.

More on the story.

About Curt Varone

Curt Varone has over 45 years of fire service experience and 35 as a practicing attorney licensed in both Rhode Island and Maine. His background includes 29 years as a career firefighter in Providence (retiring as a Deputy Assistant Chief), as well as volunteer and paid on call experience. He is the author of two books: Legal Considerations for Fire and Emergency Services, (2006, 2nd ed. 2011, 3rd ed. 2014, 4th ed. 2022) and Fire Officer's Legal Handbook (2007), and is a contributing editor for Firehouse Magazine writing the Fire Law column.
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