Ex-fire chief 'secretly filmed sex' after resigning in disgrace over harassment
A former fire chief has been arrested for allegedly filming himself having sex with someone without them knowing.
John Rose, 53, a former fire chief from Martha's Vineyard in Massachusetts, had resigned from Oak Bluffs Fire Department due to sexual harassment allegations in 2020.
Recently, Rose secured a new job in West Tisbury but was indefinitely suspended after a harassment protection order was filed against him. He is now being held without bail on charges of "photographing, videotaping, or electronically surveilling a partially nude or nude persons", as per the district attorney's office.
The police were alerted about the allegation on December 14 and initiated an investigation that involved state police. Rose was arrested at Logan Airport in Boston over the weekend, although it's unclear if he was trying to escape.
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Oak Bluffs fire station (oakbluffs.ma.gov)A male co-worker sought the harassment prevention order against Rose on December 4. It hasn't been confirmed whether this order and Rose's arrest are linked.
Rose has a history of alleged workplace corruption. While working in Oak Bluffs, he was compelled to settle with a former fire department administrator for $97,500 over harassment and discrimination claims. Cynthia Hatt, who worked for the department from 2013 to 2019, filed a grievance against Rose with the state in April of that year, before filing a lawsuit in July.
Hatt confessed to a year-long relationship with Rose starting in 2015, after he made advances towards her at work. After they split up, Rose started dating a volunteer firefighter but kept sending Hatt 'unceasing, harassing text messages and phone calls' to win her back.
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Rose's future in the emergency services is looking bleak (oakbluffs.ma.gov)She turned him down and claims he took revenge on her at work for doing so. Hatt alleged that Rose moved her desk into his office, stopped her extra time payments, took away her job duties and singled out her new boyfriend for punishment, even stalking her outside the fire station using fire department vehicles.
She also claimed that Rose "assigned himself a locker" in the women's locker room at the fire station and used it to shower and dress twice a day. The case was eventually dismissed and a settlement was reached without Rose or the town of Oak Bluffs admitting any wrongdoing. Hatt dropped all claims.
She was awarded $97,500 in the settlement, more than the $25,000 she asked for in lost overtime pay. The settlement states the extra money is for damages that "do not involve wage-related wrongdoing on the part of the town."
A month after he resigned, it was revealed he'd received $100,000 in a retirement package that includes a $65,000 lump-sum payout, three months of paid leave, and 18 months of town health benefits. The fire department, under Rose's leadership, even came under an FBI investigation for its billing practices.
Rose was given another shot as a firefighter in West Tisbury until a harassment protection order was filed. He didn't fight his suspension. In 2022, a fellow firefighter who tried to expose Rose's alleged harassment sued him, according to The MV Times.
Back in 2014, when Rose was still the boss, a state ethics commission looked into him for hiring his own family at the fire department, NBC10 reported. They later decided not to take any formal action against Rose.
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Rose's lawyer, Mark Miliotis, told the Vineyard Gazette he hadn't heard about these charges before and didn't say anything else.
Right now, Rose is in a state prison in Bourne. He's due back in court on Monday.
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