CONOVER, N.C. (QUEEN CITY NEWS) — A former Conover Fire Chief has been charged in connection with providing false information on fire incident reports, according to Conover City Manager Tom Hart.
Officials say former Fire Chief Mark Hinson is being investigated by the North Carolina Department of Insurance (DOI) and was arrested at his home the morning of Tuesday, September 19.
A warrant for Hinson’s arrest was issued on September 5, but the alleged incidents happened between January 1, 2022, and April 1, 2023, according to documents provided by the Catawba County Sheriff’s Office and Clerk of Court.
In total, the court documents list 17 charges tied to several alleged incidents:
- January 1, 2022 — False Statement of Determination & Certification of Eligible Firefighters
- Hinson reportedly submitted the 2022 roster, claiming that Firefighter Ricky Allen completed necessary training hours when Allen was out on medical leave the whole year.
- June 9, 2022 — False Statement in Fire Incident Report
- Hinson reportedly said Ricky Allen responded to a fire when Allen was still on medical leave. Alen later passed away in March 2023 after a battle with cancer.
- November 15, 2022 — Accessing Government Computer
- Hinson reportedly created an incident report saying the fire department responded to a call for service that only the police department was involved in.
- January 6, 2023 — Accessing Government Computer & Forgery
- Hinson reportedly created an incident report and a fire report, falsely saying the fire department responded to a fire alarm they did not respond to.
- January 27, 2023 — Accessing Government Computer & Forgery
- Hinson reportedly created fire incident report saying the fire department responded to a call when that call was associated with a Catawba County civil process incident that didn’t involve the fire department.
- February 7, 2023 — Accessing Government Computer
- Hinson reportedly created an incident report saying the fire department responded to a call for service that only the police department was involved in.
- February 9, 2023 — Accessing Government Computer
- Hinson reportedly created an incident report saying the fire department responded to a call for service that only the police department was involved in.
- February 10, 2023 — Accessing Government Computer
- Hinson reportedly created an incident report saying the fire department responded to a call for service that only the police department was involved in.
- March 1, 2023 — Accessing Government Computers & Forgery (3 counts)
- Hinson reportedly created three false incident reports that said the department responded to a fire alarm when they had not.
- April 1, 2023 — Accessing Government Computer
- Hinson reportedly created fire incident report saying the department had responded to a call for service when there was no CAD report associated with that incident number at the time.
The Conover Assistant Fire Chief, Mark Stafford, is now serving as the Interim Fire Chief.
Read the City’s complete statement below:
The City has been cooperating with an NC Department of Insurance investigation and the DOI has charged the former Fire Chief with several crimes related to providing false information on fire incident reports.
Assistant Chief Mark Stafford is serving as the Interim Fire Chief. The City of Conover and the personnel of the Conover Fire Department remain committed to providing the best fire protection services to our community.
Conover City Manager Tom Hart
Queen City News has reached out to law enforcement and the DOI for more information.
This is a developing story; check back for updates.
