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Firefighter charged with sexual assault of colleague

Michael Peden allegedly repeatedly harassed the female firefighter, who was labeled a “snitch” when she complained to a captain

By Ashley Luthern
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

MILWAUKEE — A Milwaukee Fire Department acting lieutenant repeatedly groped a co-worker and gave her low marks on her work evaluation after she complained, according to a criminal complaint charging him with a felony.

Michael Peden, 35, was charged Thursday with second-degree sexual assault after his arrest last weekend.

He is accused of a pattern of inappropriate and retaliatory behavior, which began earlier this year.

Peden works as a heavy-equipment operator. He was assigned as acting lieutenant to Engine 26, located on S. 26th St. near W. Scott St. in May.

Peden’s attorney, Rebecca Coffee, said he denies the accusations and maintains his innocence.

“If the allegations are true, I want this guy out of this fire department right away,” Mayor Tom Barrett said. “This is something I’m simply not going to tolerate.”

According to the criminal complaint:

Soon after he arrived at Engine 26, Peden began making persistent bigoted comments to a female firefighter. As a result, she tried to keep her distance from him; others at the station noticed she was acting differently at work.

The captain learned of Peden’s conduct and addressed the entire firehouse while the woman was on a call. When she returned, she was labeled a “snitch.”

After that, she said, Peden called her “a piece of (expletive)” at least six times a day. She asked to be transferred to a different station but was told she could not be moved immediately.

About a month later, Peden completed her monthly evaluation, giving her low scores in every category. When she asked what she was doing wrong, Peden threw things around the firehouse and told her to clean it up. He said she was not strong enough to be a firefighter because she was a woman. He continued to berate her, she said, and then reached over and grabbed her breast.

On her next shift, when it was just the two of them in the firehouse, Peden cornered her, grabbed her hand and forced it onto his groin.

She remembers him saying: “Come on, you still have to prove yourself.”

She yelled for him to stop and then he grabbed her aggressively below the waist. She ducked under his other arm and ran downstairs. She said for the next few weeks, Peden would touch her inappropriately and claim it was accidental.

In an interview with police, Assistant Fire Chief Gerard Washington said he received three anonymous complaints about how Peden treated his female co-worker. He verified that she was a good employee who received good evaluations until about May, when Peden was assigned to the same station.

The criminal complaint does not outline what action, if any, Milwaukee Fire Department officials took to address Peden’s behavior during the past six months, other than the captain addressing the firehouse.

Fire Department officials have not responded to questions about his employment status, other than to say he is the subject of an ongoing internal investigation.

Late Thursday, the Fire Department released a statement saying it takes harassment claims “very seriously” and has several policies addressing it.

Fire Department employees who know of discrimination or harassment are required to report it to a supervisor or face discipline themselves.

Those found to have engaged in discrimination or harassment are subject to discipline, including firing.

Barrett said he learned of the investigation over the weekend and first saw the criminal complaint Thursday.

“I’m going to see why there was that time lag,” he said. “I want to make sure if we have this type of behavior that this is investigated immediately. I don’t want months to go by.”

Peden was hired in 2010 and earned a total of $104,385 in 2016, according to city records.

If convicted, he faces up to 25 years in prison with 15 years of extended supervision and fines of $100,000.

Copyright 2017 Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

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