A New Haven firefighter charged with bribing a witness has turned himself in to New Haven police.
Aaron Brantley, 33, of New Haven, was charged with two counts of bribery of a witness. He turned himself in at police headquarters on an arrest warrant in January of 2013.
The New Haven Independent reports that Brantley is accused of trying to bribe two members of the department to back up discrimination claims he made in 2012 in exchange for settlement money from the claim.
According to the arrest warrant application, Brantley is accused of offering two members of the department 2-3 percent of the potential monetary settlement in exchange for false testimony.
According to the New Haven Register, Brantley claimed he was being discriminated against when he was tasked with painting fire hydrants, cleaning windows and doing errands, as well as other duties while recovering from an injury. In response, he filed a complaint with the state Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities, the report states.
Attorney Hugh Keefe, who is representing Brantley, said his client has been with the department for eight years, has received several commendations and is a terrific firefighter who saved several people from burning buildings.
"This case, in my view at least, is going nowhere. It's a shame he has to go through this, but that's the process," Keefe said.
