Decision of Police and Fire Commission – FINAL 03.26.2020 electronic signature
STEVENS POINT, WI (WSAU) — A Stevens Point firefighter has lost his job following a series of investigations and hearings by the city’s Police and Fire Commission.
Casey Bielen, who has been on leave without pay since September of 2020, has been terminated. The now-former firefighter had been accused of multiple shortcomings while on the job including failure to report to work on time, attempting to report to work while under the influence of alcohol, and misconduct regarding communications with residents on social media.
It should be noted that no criminal charges have been filed against Bielen, according to the Stevens Point Journal.
During a Zoom call on Monday special attorney Dean Dietrich announced the decision, which was made unanimously by the Commission.
According to documents released to the media following Monday’s brief meeting, Bielen had previously been written up for failure to perform known duties. He was also given a “last chance” letter in January of 2020 along with a four-day, unpaid suspension. Then later that year, he failed to follow directives regarding transportation to St. Michael’s Hospital. That led to an ambulance being out of service for nearly 20 minutes.
In addition to the professional misconduct, at least two women said they received lewd and unwanted messages from Bielen both while he was on-duty and off-duty. According to one of the women, she told him multiple times to stop contacting her and blocked him, only to have him find other ways to attempt contact. She also said in at least one incident, Bielen offered her money for sex.
You can view those documents in their entirety by clicking the PDF link at the top of this story.
The decision came after a week of hearings and several closed-session meetings of the Commission.
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