Cincinnati fire lieutenant charged with assaulting woman

CINCINNATI (WXIX) - A Cincinnati fire lieutenant is under arrest and charged with assaulting a woman and accused of trying to cover it up, court records show.

Brandon Freeman, 53, is held on an $11,000 bond for charges of assault and obstructing official business, according to Hamilton County court documents. He pleaded not guilty to the charges on Monday.

He was arrested after a woman told police he grabbed her by her neck and slammed her into a wall on Tuesday, according to a criminal complaint filed in Hamilton County Municipal Court.

Freeman is accused of cleaning up the blood from the incident to block police from conducting a full investigation, another criminal complaint states.

The extent of the woman’s injuries was not available over the weekend.

Freeman is currently employed by the Cincinnati Fire Department as a fire lieutenant, according to Cincinnati Fire Michael Chief A. Washington Sr.

“Since this just happened yesterday, administratively, we will be fact-finding tomorrow,” the chief told FOX19 on Sunday.

“He is currently on a leave without pay status,” Chief Washington explained. “He is represented by a union. He is entitled to due process. I can not comment any further because the investigation will begin this week.”

The leader of the union that represents Cincinnati firefighters declined to comment, saying they typically do not during the investigation.

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