FAIRFAX, Va. (WUSA9) -- A Fairfax County Fire captain has been disciplined after a sexual harassment lawsuit against the department.
The lawsuit was filed after allegations of cyber-bullying against of firefighter Nicole Mittendorff, who took her own life, emerged.
In an interview with WUSA9, Fairfax County Fire Chief Richard Bowers said a new internal affairs investigator has been assigned to examine the allegations after the first one was put on administrative leave. Chief Bowers is also helping the county find an outside firm to look into workplace relations.
Nicole Mittendorff's husband Steve Mittendorff told WTOP that his wife chose not to engage with the cyberbullies and she had moved on. He said she was adamant that she was in the fire department to do a job, to serve the citizens of the county. Mittendorff said he may never know why his wife killed herself.
In his first interview since WUSA9 broke the stories about lewd and sexist postings on a fire official's Facebook page and about a sexual harassment lawsuit against a captain Jon Bruley, Chief Richie Bowers said Bruley has also been disciplined.
Chief Bowers said he didn't know about Internal Affairs investigator Guy Morgan's offensive Facebook posts until a group of women brought them to his attention a few weeks ago. He put Morgan on administrative leave.
"This department is not upside down. We have hardworking men and women. Bad apples, when there are bad apples, we need to know," Chief Bowers said.
The issues came to light after firefighter Nicole Mittendorf took her own life last month. She had been the target of crude, and sexually-explicit harassment on a community forum. Her husband and sister told WTOP that Nicole had seen those posts.
