A lieutenant in the Suffield Volunteer Fire Department was arrested Thursday and charged with third-degree assault after allegedly attacking another firefighter in July.
According to a warrant for her arrest, Carol Thibedeau, 56, of 669 North Street in Suffield, reportedly assaulted her coworker, Steven Domin, at the Suffield Fireman’s Carnival on July 20.
There’s a history of contention between Thibedeau and Domin, who lives at 1781 Mountain Road in West Suffield.
Domin’s wife, Gail, a former firefighter, had previously accused Thibedeau’s husband, Michael, of sexually harrassing her, according to police. Michael Thibedeau is the town fire marshal.
The town investigated Gail’s claim but tossed it out due to a lack of evidence. Gail resigned from the fire department around the time of the investigation, Thibedeau told police.
According to the warrant, Thibedeau approached Domin after the carnival while he was sitting with another woman. Thibedeau told police the two were acting in a romantic way. Thibedeau said she wished she’d had her cellphone so she could take a picture and post it on Facebook.
The warrant states that Thibedeau and Domin got into an argument and Thibedeau starting hitting him in the face.
Thibedeau admitted to swinging at Domin but said she didn’t know whether she had actually hit him. She told police Domin had been taunting her, saying her husband had touched his wife inappropriately, according to the warrant.
Domin told police he ended up with a fat lip.
According to the warrant, witness accounts support Domin’s story. One such witness was town Fire Chief Charles Flynn. Flynn declined to comment on the incident Friday.
Thibedeau was released on a promise to appear in Enfield Superior Court on Tuesday.
She was suspended from the fire department for 30 days, according to Chief Flynn.
Thibedeau is also a full-time dispatcher with the West Hartford Police Department. The department is aware of her arrest, but says it will not affect her employment status there since she's a civilian employee and not a sworn officer.
Thibedeau did not return a phone call seeking comment.
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