16 California firefighters placed on paid leave following sex tape investigation
LOS ANGELES -- Sixteen California CalFire firefighters are on paid administrative leave for policy violations that stemmed from an investigation regarding allegations that they were having sex on fire trucks.
The investigation began in May after Orville Fleming, fire academy instructor and battalion chief for the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, was charged with murder in the death of a former escort who became his girlfriend.
According to Fleming's estranged wife, Megan Fleming, there was video of her husband and his 26-year-old girlfriend having sex with him and other firefighters on fire trucks.
No sex tape was found, but California Highway Patrol was asked to investigate the claims. Officials said other violations were discovered during the investigation and led to the 16 firefighters being placed on leave.
"Before we started another academy up, we wanted to make sure we weren't disrupting those new recruits starting next week. So we wanted to bring in new instructors and put those that have some allegations, put them on administrative time off, pending that completion," CalFire spokesman Daniel Berlant said.
The majority of the employees are or were full-time instructors at the department's fire academy in Ione, where Fleming worked, 40 miles southeast of Sacramento.
Fleming was arrested following a two-week manhunt after Douglas' body was discovered in the home they shared. He is scheduled to appear in court in March. He has pleaded not guilty to a murder charge.
The results of the investigation are expected in early January.
The Associated Press contributed to this report
