Fire Official Involved in November Crash Placed on Paid Leave

A senior Montgomery County fire official who was involved in a four-car collision in November while driving a county vehicle has been placed on administrative leave with pay, authorities said.

Assistant Chief Gregory J. DeHaven struck three vehicles, including a police sport-utility vehicle, near Rockville as he returned from appearing in an honor guard at a Redskins game. DeHaven was initially placed on desk duty, and he paid a $130 fine the next month for failing to control his vehicle.

DeHaven was told Monday not to return to work, Acting Fire Chief Richard Bowers said. It was unclear how long the leave might last. DeHaven has 10 days to appeal the order.

Bowers said he took action after receiving a report on the incident from a consultant hired by the fire department. Bowers declined to describe the contents of the report or make a copy of it available.

DeHaven, 50, did not respond to messages seeking comment.

Police have launched an internal investigation into the department's handling of the incident. The county's inspector general, Thomas J. Dagley, is also investigating.

"We continue to examine allegations first reported confidentially to us within two weeks of the accident that alcohol was a cause," Dagley said yesterday.

DeHaven was driving a fire department sport-utility vehicle when the crash occurred about 8 p.m. Nov. 30 on a northbound entrance ramp to Interstate 270. A police officer at the scene said he smelled alcohol on DeHaven's breath, but two police commanders later decided against administering a breathalyzer, saying a roadside test tracking eye movement showed no signs of impairment.

The fire and rescue service tested DeHaven that night for drugs and alcohol, tests that were required under personnel rules because property damage from the crash exceeded $2,500. County officials declined to make the results of those tests public, citing personnel rules. Prosecutors have said tests administered under such circumstances are generally not useful in court.

The county's chief administrative officer, Timothy Firestine, said yesterday that county officials "are moving quickly to come to closure in this case," and that reports from the police and the consultant would be examined before deciding on final action regarding DeHaven. Firestine said action against other county employees is also possible.

DeHaven, a veteran of the fire department, is eligible for full retirement, and personnel action against him probably would not prevent him from receiving that benefit, according to county personnel rules.

The fire vehicle, a 2001 Ford SUV, was totaled, and the police vehicle, a 2006 Chevy SUV, sustained about $2,800 in damage, according to insurance and county records. A 2007 BMW sustained about $10,000 in damage, according to preliminary estimates. A passenger in that car has told county officials she was injured in the crash and intends to file a lawsuit against the county.

Bowers said the department hired the consultant because, at the time of the crash, DeHaven outranked the top official in the internal affairs section.