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Firehouse Hazing Turns Violent: 4 Marion County Fire & Rescue Employees Arrested After Alleged Waterboarding

03:08 AM, 11/27/2025
Firehouse Hazing Turns Violent: 4 Marion County Fire & Rescue Employees Arrested After Alleged Waterboarding

Four Marion County Fire and Rescue employees were arrested and fired after a 19-year-old colleague was allegedly assaulted in a violent hazing incident at Station 21 in Ocala on Nov. 16. The suspects face charges including kidnapping, robbery and battery after investigators say the victim was smeared with grease, chased, whipped with his belt and waterboarded three times. The department is reviewing whether others present failed to intervene, and the suspects are awaiting court appearances.

Four employees of Marion County Fire and Rescue have been arrested and terminated after investigators say a 19-year-old co-worker was subjected to a violent hazing incident at Fire Station 21 in Ocala on Nov. 16.

Detectives from the sheriff’s office major crimes division arrested Edward Kenny III, 22; Seth Day, 22; and Tate Trauthwein, 19, on charges that include kidnapping, robbery and battery. Kaylee Bradley, 25, was arrested on charges of robbery and as a principal/accessory to robbery. All four have been dismissed from the department, Fire Chief James Banta confirmed.

According to authorities, the harassment began while the victim was on duty. Coworkers allegedly smeared grease on him and demanded access to a TikTok video on his phone. The situation escalated: the victim was chased through the station parking lot, his boots were thrown into nearby woods, and he was pulled to the ground, restrained and assaulted.

Investigators say the attackers removed the victim’s belt and used it to whip him. When the victim refused to provide his phone password, the suspects reportedly pulled down his underwear, struck his bare skin with the belt, and later dragged him to another area of the station. There, two suspects allegedly held him down while another covered his face with a towel and poured water over it three times, an act described by detectives as waterboarding using a water bottle.

"A small group of employees treated the firehouse like a frat house," Marion County Commissioner Carl Zalak said. "The behavior is absolutely disgraceful, disrespectful, and it will simply not be tolerated."

Authorities say the harassment stopped only when a call for service arrived at the station. Supervisors reported the allegations to the sheriff’s office, which investigated and later arrested the four employees. The suspects were booked into the Marion County Jail and are awaiting their initial court appearances.

Fire Chief Banta stated the department will review the sheriff’s investigation to determine whether others present failed to intervene or report the abuse.

Sheriff Billy Woods said the victim, who has worked with the department about a year, declined to take time off and has returned to duty, saying he "has a job to do."

Note: The arrests remain allegations until proven in court.

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