BRIDGEPORT, Conn. — A Conn. fire lieutenant being investigated by his department after he was charged with breach of peace following an alleged anti-Obama rant last month has retired.
Lt. Paul Neugebauer, 60, has been on administrative leave, pending a hearing, according to the CT Post.
He was placed on leave the day of the incident, when he grabbed a fellow firefighter who was wearing an Obama 2012 shirt with an Obama decal on his car and reportedly stuck his head in the vehicle and used profane language to “berate” the man.
Neugebauer said he did not grab or shove the man.
Bridgeport Fire Chief Brian Rooney said Lt. Neugebauer had an option to retire, which he accepted.
“I didn’t retire because I was losing my job because I don’t know that would have happened,” Lt. Neugebauer, a 26-year-veteran, said.
Lt. Neugebauer has been in trouble in the past for expressing his political beliefs in a similar fashion. He was charged with intimidation based on bigotry or bias after he had a dispute with a store owner and his son who were of Middle Eastern descent.
The charge was later dropped.