By FireRescue1 Staff
CRANSTON, R.I. — A deputy fire chief who is facing criminal charges tied to an alleged fight with a lieutenant is back on the job.
WPRI.com reported that Chief Paul Valletta has been taken off administrative leave a month after being placed on paid leave following his arrest. Chief Valletta was arrested on misdemeanor charges of simple assault and disorderly conduct following an incident at a fire station.
Chief Valletta and Lt. Scott Bergantino got into an argument about overtime, and Bergantino made a remark about Valletta’s mother. Bergantino told police that Valletta “approached him and pushed him up against the chalkboard, punched him in the head two times and then threw him over a recliner and onto the floor.”
Bergantino suffered a concussion in the alleged assault. Valletta pleaded not guilty to the charges last month, saying he was “looking forward to the truth coming out, then I’ll be back to work doing what I love doing.”
Valletta will have a pretrial conference Thursday.