By Bill Vidonic
The Pittsburgh Tribune Review
PITTSBURGH — A panel of Pittsburgh firefighters on Thursday fired a lieutenant accused of drunken driving three times in the past 13 months.
Fire Chief Darryl Jones said Stephen M. Jasper of Lincoln-Lemington pleaded guilty to several departmental charges, including conduct unbecoming an officer, disobedience to laws and regulations, and insubordination.
“I believe the trial board recognizes that enough is enough,” Jones said. “We need to make a statement that this will not be tolerated.”
Mayor Luke Ravenstahl will approve the board’s decision, his spokeswoman said. Jasper can appeal to the city’s civil service commission.
Jones said Jasper, who has been a Pittsburgh firefighter for nearly 14 years, entered the department’s rehabilitation program after first being charged with drunken driving in Bellevue in February 2010.
Jasper, 39, assigned to Engine 15 in Larimer, then was arrested in Braddock Hills in January, and finally last month in East Pittsburgh.
The hearing, conducted by three firefighters, was for the Braddock Hills arrest, Jones said.
Jasper waived his preliminary hearing Tuesday on the East Pittsburgh charges; he agreed to enter a rehabilitation facility last month, Jones said.
Jasper’s attorney, Blaine Jones, said his client will stand trial on the other two arrests.
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