Rachel Berry
Times-News, Burlington, N.C.
TYRO, N.C. — Timothy Aaron Spivey, the former Tyro fire chief, was arrested Thursday after investigators say he falsified information sent to the N.C. State Firefighter’s Association.
Spivey, 40, was the chief of the Tyro Rural Fire Department and had served in that role for almost two years when the incident occurred in January 2021, said Barry Shoaf, president of the fire department’s Board of Directors.
Spivey is accused of submitting a certified fire department roster that contained false information to the state firefighter’s association, according to the arrest warrant. The warrant also says he overstated the amount of training hours firefighters within the department received.
These offenses reportedly occurred between Jan. 11 and Jan. 19. Shoaf said internal accusations against Spivey were first reported to members of the Board of Directors. The Board had a meeting in mid to late January and voted to remove him as chief and to remove him from the department entirely. The Department of Insurance is handling the investigation and is the agency that issued the criminal charges.
Spivey is being charged with felony determination and certification of eligible firefighters and felony punishment for making false statement. He was released on a $25,000 unsecured bond and is scheduled to appear in Davidson County District Court on April 16.
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