WAXAHACHIE, Texas (AP) — Court records say the chief and assistant chief of a volunteer fire department in a small town south of Dallas knew of a sexual assault at their station, but didn’t report it to authorities and instructed the suspects and victim not to report it.
The fire chief, 31-year-old Gavin Satterfield, and assistant fire chief, 34-year-old Billy Getzendaner, were arrested Thursday and released on bond. They face charges of tampering with a witness.
Ellis County Emergency Services District 6, which oversees the department, suspended the chiefs Thursday.
Five firefighters were arrested Monday on aggravated sexual assault charges in an attack described by a prosecutor as a “rite of initiation” at Emergency Service District 6 Volunteer Fire Department in Waxahachie.
Getzendaner didn’t return a message. A number for Satterfield wasn’t located.