By Shirley Downing
The Commercial Appeal
BARTLETT, Tenn. — Bartlett police traveled to Collierville’s Fire Station No. 3 Tuesday afternoon to arrest a Collierville firefighter and charge him with rape.
Brandon Faulkner, 30, also faces assault and sexual battery charges stemming from a pool party Saturday at his Bartlett home, Bartlett Police Chief Mark Hopper said.
Faulkner has been a Collierville firefighter more than seven years.
A bond hearing will be held this morning in Bartlett Municipal Court.
Two rookie Bartlett police officers also have been fired for improper behavior and a third suspended after a weekend party, officials said Tuesday.
Faulkner’s wife, Bartlett patrolman Carey Faulkner, a 10-year department veteran, was suspended with pay pending an internal affairs investigation.
Carey Faulkner, 32, was hired in January 1997 as a dispatcher. She became a patrolman two years later.
Bartlett police officers Jonathan Poe, 27, and Jack Fullwood, 29, both probationary employees of six months, were fired due to “behavior unbecoming an officer,” officials said.
The Faulkners were having a pool party Saturday night at their home in the Deermont Park area in Bartlett that was attended by about a dozen people, including the two probationary officers.
A woman told police Sunday that she was sexually assaulted at the party.
She said Faulkner offered to escort her home early Sunday morning, where she said he then assaulted her in a bedroom.
Bartlett internal affairs is investigating the incident, said Asst. Police Chief Gary Rikard.
Bartlett spokesman Debbie Morrison said the two rookie officers were fired “effective immediately due to behavior unbecoming a police officer.”
“All newly hired Bartlett employees undergo one year of probation to ensure they are a proper fit for the position,” she said.
She said Mayor Keith McDonald authorized an administrative hearing for Carey Faulkner. “This officer has been assigned administrative leave with pay until the investigation is complete.”
“While I am saddened by the poor judgment of these officers, we will not allow this incident to tarnish the outstanding reputation of our Police Department,” McDonald said in a statement.
The Town of Collierville suspended Brandon Faulkner with pay until town officials get more information, Human Resources director Jeff Sprow said.
Town records show that the firefighter/EMT makes $46,866 a year.
He scored superior ratings on his latest performance evaluations.
Faulkner even received a letter of commendation in October for his role in helping rescue a crash victim who was trapped inside his car.
But in 2002, he was suspended a day without pay for being late reporting to work too often, records show.
Copyright 2007 The Commercial Appeal, Inc.