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Three Former Hernando Beach fire chiefs arrested on fraud charges

Posted at 8:42 PM, Sep 29, 2017
and last updated 2017-09-29 23:31:58-04

Three former Tampa Bay area fire chiefs were arrested on Friday on fraud charges.

The arrests come as the Hernando County Sheriff's Office has an active investigation into allegations of misappropriation of funds within the now defunct volunteer fire department. 

The current City of Brooksville Fire Chief David Freda and the current City of Brooksville Fire Captain David Murdock were among the arrests.

Current FEMA employee Travis Morris was also arrested as a result of the investigation.

Morris was booked into the Hernando County Detention Center Friday on one charge of fraud-swindle, obtain property worth $50,000 or more. 

All three were former fire chiefs in the Hernando Beach Volunteer Fire Department.

The Hernando Beach Volunteer Fire Department closed its doors after county commissioners voted 3-1 in February to dissolve the department. 

The county sent the department, after Morris had already left the top spot, a five page breach of contract in January detailing a list of violations and deficiencies, including two years of missing financial records.