The charges were referred to Inspector General E. Barrett Prettyman’s office for investigation by the U.S. attorney’s office on Oct. 7, according to Channing Phillips, spokesman for U.S. Attorney Wilma A. Lewis.

The charges against lieutenants David R. Hibbon, Jeffrey A. Sosebee and Walter E. Webb stem from at least one incident on May 28 when they allegedly set fire to an abandoned building in Southeast Washington as a training exercise for their units, as reported by The Common Denominator on Sept.28.

In a telephone interview last month with The Common Denominator, Sosebee described the incidents as "a bad judgment call that went wrong.’’ Hibbon and Webb could not be reached for comment.

All three lieutenants are still on active duty in the fire department. All three have been transferred from the firehouses where they were stationed at the time the incident allegedly took place. Sosebee and Webb are currently stationed at Engine 32 in the Knox Hill neighborhood of Southeast Washington. Hibbon was transferred to Engine 2 in Chinatown.

D.C. Fire Chief Donald Edwards has refused to comment on the matter, calling it an internal departmental affair.

Phillips said cases are referred to the inspector general’s office for investigation when the charges involve possible violations of D.C. regulations. Phillips said if the inspector general’s investigation uncovers criminal violations, they would be referred back to the U.S attorney’s office for possible criminal prosecution.

Even if the investigation uncovers no criminal misconduct, the three officers still will likely face an internal fire department trial board, which would determine disciplinary action, if any. Assistant Fire Chief Floyd A. Madison said punishment from a trial board could range from official letters of reprimand to dismissal.

If the U.S. attorney’s office decides not to proceed with criminal charges, the cases would be referred to the D.C. corporation counsel’s office, which would conduct proceedings before the fire department trial board, Phillips said.

Copyright 1998, The Common Denominator