A hero, a gun, two of man’s best friends
June 25th, 2009, 9:50 am · 27 Comments · posted by rlederman
This is someone Columbus residents counted on to save their lives? Wow. What did he do if it looked like getting someone out of a fire might be tricky?
Give credit to this piece of work’s fellow firefighters. They tend to protect their own. Not this time.
But, rest assured that the union representing Columbus firefighters will invoke 9/11 (New York, Washington, D.C., FYI) to justify defending this animal lover.
Firefighters union: He’s a hero! He’s a hero! 9/11! 9/11!
Common sense: He shot his two dogs so he could go on a cruise without paying for boarding.
Firefighters union: 9/11! 9/11!
From The Columbus Dispatch:
Firefighter killed dogs before going on vacation
Columbus firefighter David P. Santuomo will spend 90 days in jail and pay $4,500 in restitution for shooting his two dogs in the basement of his home and wrapping their bodies in a plastic sheet.
Investigators say Santuomo, 43, of 2945 Rushbury Dr., has admitted that he was going on a cruise with his girlfriend and didn’t want to pay to board the dogs Sloopy and Skeeter even though two neighbors offered to watch the animals in his absence. At the time, he lived on Essington Drive near Dublin.
Franklin County Municipal Judge Harland H. Hale accepted guilty pleas to two counts of animal cruelty and one count of possessing a criminal tool a homemade silencer Santuomo used on the end of a rifle.
The pleas today could jeopardize Santuomo’s career. He still faces an internal disciplinary hearing with Fire Chief Ned Pettus Jr. He has been a firefighter since 1996.
Assistant County Prosecutor Heather Robinson said the facts of the case are brutal:
On Dec. 3, Santuomo laid down a plastic sheet in his basement and tied the dogs to a pipe, partially suspending their bodies. He shot them multiple times, then dumped their carcasses in a trash bin behind Fire Station 27 at 7560 Smoky Row Rd., where he was assigned.
“He later bragged about killing his pets to fellow firefighters, and he showed no remorse, even joking about it,” Robinson said. “Fellow firefighters were disgusted by what he did, and the Capital Area Humane Society was called to investigate.”
Click here for the entire Dispatch story.
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This is a selfish man. Why didn’t he just let his neighbors watch them or if he didn’t want them, take them to the Humane Society? Then he brags about it to his co-workers, dumb!
I am not defending this creep, but what kinda disciplinary action should he face with the Fire Chief? I can only assume it would be using the fire dept, trash bin for personal use, or is there some kind of code of conduct that the firefighters must live by? After all his job is to spray water on fires, he doesn’t have to be a pet lover to do that.
He’s going to jail for 90 days. I’d be OK seeing him lose his job. There’s a huge difference between “not being a pet lover” and not killing two dogs so you can go on vacation worry-free.
Some cities have regulations prohibiting felons from working at some jobs. I would guess firefighters might fall into this category. Nobody wants a firefighter that comes in and shoots your dog while putting out a fire after all (tongue in cheek). I’m not sure if this was a felony, but since he got 90 days it seems like it probably is.
I don’t care one way or the other if he loses his job, I am just saying does it reflect on how he does his job as a fire fighter because he does not give a dang about animals. He will face the charges that he was foung guilty of, if he does not have the time off (vacation or personal leave) to cover his jail time then it would be grounds for dismissal. The story is not clear about what the Fire Dept policy is on something like this, I would like to know more about it, or is it just a the PC thing to do.
I’m not saying to fire him as a PC thing to do, Scant. Someone whose job is to save lives, albeit human lives, shot two living creatures for his own convenience. He broke the law, and he is doing jail time.
Grounds for dismissal if he doesn’t have enough vacation time to cover his jail stay for killing two living creatures? Must be nice not to have to worry about your actions because you have a state union protecting you, Scant.
I was wondering what the union stance would be on this issue ( I am assuming that most firefighters are unionized.). I would be shocked if they didn’t fight to get this guy’s job back.
“Firefighters union: He’s a hero! He’s a hero! 9/11! 9/11!”
Hmmmmm. Have not heard any such an invocation from Jack Reall or other IAFF members. Why the advanced condemnation? Has the Columbus Fire union does this in the past I am not aware of?
Was the condemnation remark towards me Buster? I’m not condemning anyone, but I would be shocked if the union doesn’t take a stance here. Call it prior experience. Maybe the IAFF is different in handling these types of things though.
Dave, I took it as being toward me, given the line he put in quotes: Firefighters union: He’s a hero! He’s a hero! 9/11! 9/11!
But, just as you say, we’ve all seen firefighters unions, same as police unions, act that way. Unions in general, some might argue.
I was refering to Ron’s assertion. The union has really had no position as there have been no actions taken against the FF that are union related. The internal investigation has not been concluded by the professional standards section as they were waiting on the dispo of the criminal case.
Just seemed pretty harsh. Must be such a slow news day that Ron needs to forecast the next issue to get upset about….
Are there cases where a firefighter union has invoked “9/11 hero” defense to this type of employee issue? I am trying to think of such a case but I draw a blank…. Just wondered what prompted such a shrill blog entry…
Ron, your twisting what I was trying to say about vacation time. I don’t agree with what he did. Just saying, what he did, how does that affect his job other than using the Departments trash bin as a graveyard for the dogs. I suspect that he will face action from the Department for that.
The state union is not as strong as many think, I laugh whenever I hear that. The state could clean house if they wanted to, but they chose not too. I wish they would, but there are reasons they don’t and it’s not a union.
What a sick SOB. I hope he rots in h#&*. If he’ll do that to animals he will do that to anyone…I hope he looses his job….If the girlfriend sticks by him she is just as sick!!!!!!!
Can someone help me understand this? I know the guy’s an idiot — he killed his dogs rather than take them to a shelter, he dumped the bodies at work, he bragged about it, he lied about it — but fortunately for all of us, idiocy isn’t a crime.
Apparently killing your pet is, though. Which is odd, because as a society, we let our dog pounds kill millions of dogs and cats every year rather than pay to board them. And a vet can legally put a healthy animal to sleep at the owner’s request.
So while you may not like the guy — I imagine I wouldn’t — I’m not sure I understand what law he’s broken. And if there IS a law, why are we allowed to break it by proxy in our dog pounds?
Brian, you seem to be confusing the issues. I get the point about putting animals to sleep, but society runs a double standard (if you will) on such issues.
You can take your animal to a shelter and have it put to sleep. Killed, if you prefer that term. The logic is that it is done humanely by someone who is supposed to know what he is doing.
We do the same thing with the death penalty for humans. We kill people on behalf of society, but we imprison (and kill) others who kill.
The animal lover was fired, but the story (link below) makes no mention of whether the union will appeal the firing.
http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2009/07/16/firefighter.html?sid=101#Scene_1
The question is answered.
http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2009/07/22/firefdog.ART_ART_07-22-09_B3_L6EI02I.html?sid=101
It appears the condemnation was in fact premature.
Good for the union. But I’ll stand by my condemnation. Unions too often protect those who most need fired. Municipal unions are no exception.
Your condemnation was directly at the fire union, which did not do what you described. I still have not found a case, or series of cases where fire unions “…invoke 9/11 (New York, Washington, D.C., FYI) to justify defending ….” their employee.
I don’t disagree with the concept that public unions at times defend employees who rightfully should be fired. But your comments were made directly at the fire union, Columbus in particular, and they were wrong.
Just to make sure I understand correctly: you stand by commentary that is factually untrue: “rest assured that the union representing Columbus firefighters will invoke 9/11″. That tells me all I need to know.
Yes, because right after 9/11 firefighters in, say, Lima, didn’t all come together to hold a rally for themselves, because no firefighters anywhere have ever used the politics of 9/11 for their own gain. I stand corrected, Buster.
Was that rally conducted to wrongly defend an employee(s) that should have rightfully been fired? Or to even support firefighters who were a disgrace to the fire service and should not have been supported?
I understand sarcasm, but this doesn’t seem to be on point. I don’t understand a news man who chooses to rant about issues that have not taken place. I always thought better of you than that.
I had my doubts about whether the CFD fire union would or would not support their FF on his discipline, but I didn’t jump to conclusions. And it concerns me that a news man such as yourself would.
No, the rally was not to support a firefighter who rightly should have been fired. Nor did I say it was. It was to make sure we know all firefighters are heroes.
I’m flattered by your praise, but let’s not confuse my job. I am an opinion writer. My opinion of unions — particularly municipal employee unions — isn’t always high. Sarcasm or no, I made that point. But, again, Buster, my job is to opine.
And you do a good job of opining… But generally, opinions are backed up by facts, especially when published in the course of journalism. If your post would have said “We will see if the union chooses to defend…..” or “I hope the union chooses not to defend this guy, but their track record on that issue is not good”, that would be a completely different discussion track. But you specifically chose to use the word “will” to condemn the union before they were even involved in the issue. Guilty before even having the opportunity to respond.
I am not a firefighter and I don’t belong to a union. I am simply a reader disappointed that an educated news man would immediately assume, because this was a public employee who is a union member, that there was no chance for the fire department or the fire union to do the right thing.
I am aware you are not a reporter, and this opinion piece is not the local news section. But I still expect class and accuracy from my hometown newspaper staff, and maybe, just maybe, an opportunity afforded to public officials/employees to “do the right thing” before it is assumed they are only capable of the worst. There are those that care and fight the good fight.
So, to be clear, Buster, to meet your expectations, I’m only to express my opinion when you believe I should hold that opinion? So if I think firefighters and their unions are a bit too self-congratulatory, I shouldn’t say so because you don’t like it?
I think that is a far cry from my point. Your opinions of firefighters and public employee unions came through loud and clear. The fact you were wrong in this instance accentuated your point.
State your point whether I like it or not. There is nothing I could or would do to stop you. I don’t think I ever hinted that you should not do so. I guess it was too much to hope you would blog your appreciation for those officials doing the right thing.
Accountability for actions and “opinions” goes both ways. Thanks for the opportunity to discuss.
Since you seem to need it spelled out, Buster:
I believe unions, especially those for municipal workers, protect those who shouldn’t be. I think firefighters and police too often want to portray themselves as heroes, in every instance, and you’re anti-American for suggesting otherwise. I made a rather sarcastic point about a firefighter who clearly should have been fired by saying the union would say “9/11! 9/11!”
I use sarcasm, Buster. It’s what I do.
I have been schooled.
I take back my “thanks for the opportunity to discuss”. You miss the point and revert to wanting to discuss how the lowly reader doesn’t understand the educated techniques of the opinion writer. At least it is consistent among the trade.
You were wrong in this case. That fact does not change. And I know what to expect out of you when you opine in the future. Even if you are wrong, you will still be right. No matter what.
I don’t miss the point. I said good that the union didn’t back the guy. You do miss the point that I was being sarcastic about firefighters using 9/11 to defend everything.
It’s my opinion that they overuse it. It’s an opinion. Opinions are neither right nor wrong, Buster. Just opinions.