A Chicago firefighter found a crafty way to reduce his home gas bills without reducing his carbon footprint. He took the gas meter from a burned out house (he presumably helped put out the fire) and used a false social security number to secure free gas service at his home (Fox Chicago).
Gotta give the guy points for creativity, but the gravy train couldn't last forever. He was convicted of I.D. theft, two counts of forgery, fraud, official misconduct and theft. He'll be sentenced on Jan. 25 and faces two to five years of probation.
The firefighter, 38-year-old Milton Stewart, had a good run, getting free gas from Nov. 24, 2007 until his arrest last January. Although his legal troubles and shaky job security (he's on administrative leave) likely will dwarf his savings in home heating costs.
Chicago's less-savory firefighters have been in the news a lot in the past year, mostly for much worse crimes that make Stewart look like an altar boy.
Take Scott Holland, for example, who has been arrested three times since joining the force. Most recently, Holland punched a police officer in the face (CBS Chicago) back in Septmember after knocking another one of the bicycle cops off his bike. It took place in Soldier Field after a Bears game, simply because they asked him to move out of their way.
Another firefighter, Osmar Orozco, recently was charged with felony theft and forgery (Chicago Crime Examiner) and yet another firefighter was charged last February for selling cocaine to a Chicago Department of Water Management worker (Chicagoist).
And last but not least, but definitely the worst, firefighter Jose Moreno was charged last January for sexually assaulting three young children (Tribune) who lived in his building.
No one's saying Chicago's firefighters are all hucksters, thugs and perverts, but--as with the city's troubling spate of police misconduct--perhaps a better vetting process is in order.
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