Augusta firefighter accused of running over body previously arrested by Harlem police
The Augusta firefighter accused of running over a body after a mass shooting in downtown Augusta last weekend was arrested in March for failing to comply with a police officer.
Furthermore, the Georgia Firefighter Standards and Training Council confirmed it never received notice of the arrest, which is required by the council from the agency and offender within 15 days of the incident.
Firefighter Gregory Hartshorne, 52, of Augusta, was deemed at fault for driving over the body of Germayne Farrell, 51, of Daytona Beach, Florida, on May 13, according to a report from the Richmond County Sheriff's Office.
Earlier this year, Hartshorne was arrested outside of the Harlem police station.
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Harlem police officers noted Hartshorne and his wife were parked outside of the police station on March 30 after he allegedly followed her car to see where she was going, according to the report.
The pair got into a "heated verbal argument" outside of the station, police noted in the report. Officers saw Hartshorne slap his wife's phone out of her hand and intervened.
Hartshorne was "immediately argumentative," but ultimately complied after multiple commands, according to the report. He failed to provide officers with his identification.
Based on his "non-compliance and agitated nature," officers attempted to detain Hartshorne, according to the report. He refused to comply and put his hands in the air and stepped away from the officer to avoid being handcuffed.
Officers were able to get Hartshorne into handcuffs and into a patrol car, according to the report. He was issued a citation for obstruction and transported to the Columbia County Detention Center.
The obstruction charge counted as an official arrest, according to the Columbia County Sheriff's Office.
The Augusta Fire Department did not immediately respond to media inquiries Friday about the process or investigation that occurs when a firefighter is arrested. The department also did not immediately respond to a request for a statement regarding its failure to report the arrest to the standards and training council.
More about the crash following Saturday's shooting
A crash report notes that while responding to the scene, Hartshorne was crossing through the parking lot of 115 Prep Phillips Dr., traveling north, when he failed to see Farrell on the ground.
Hartshorne told deputies the vehicle hood and fender obscured his vision and he "misjudged the location of Farrell's body," according to the report. He was dragged more than 50 feet.
Hartshorne ran over Farrell's body at 6:55 p.m., just two minutes after deputies responded to the shooting, according to previous reporting.
While Sheriff Richard Rountree told media Monday that Farrell was pronounced dead by the Richmond County Coroner's Office prior to his body being run over by Hartshorne, a media release later stated the coroner's office did not pronounce Farrell and the other shooting victim, Keith Coates, 30, of Valdosta, Georgia, dead until 7:58 p.m.
The Richmond County Coroner's Office has not responded to inquiries about Farrell's cause of death.
The report notes Hartshorne was "not drinking," but an alcohol test was not administered.
This article originally appeared on Augusta Chronicle: Firefighter cited months before running over body in Augusta
