AKRON, Ohio—Two Akron, Ohio, firefighters were placed on suspension this week after reports surfaced that they filmed sexually explicit videos inside a local fire station, and posted the videos to online porn sites, according to a report by the Cleveland.com local news site. The porn sites where the footage was allegedly posted were not named in public reports.
But the two firefighters were named publicly on Tuesday by the Akron Fire Department, which identified them as Arthur Dean, 49, and Deann Eller, 42, both lieutenants, and both 18-year veterans of the Akron Fire Department. According to the Cleveland.com report, the couple—who have reportedly been involved in a “long-term” romantic relationship—were ratted out by another firefighter, who alerted department officials about the alleged firehouse amateur porn shoot, possibly after spotting the footage online.
“Allegations involving two City of Akron firefighters recently came to the attention of the City. The allegations relate to the creation of pornographic content displayed online—some of which is alleged to have taken place on City property,” the department said in a statement released Monday.
“As leaders of this City and this Department, we find these allegations shocking and distressing to say the least,” the statement signed by Mayor Dan Horrigan and city Fire Chief Clarence Tucker continued. “These allegations bring unwelcome dishonor and embarrassment to Akron Fire Department and the City of Akron and unfairly discredit the reputation of other Akron Fire officers.”
But on Tuesday, there was some confusion over the nature of the allegedly “pornographic” videos and where they were recorded. According to a Fox News report on the incident, a video that surfaced online showed “a woman, thought to be Eller, naked and working out in a basement gym.”
A spokesperson for the city, Ellen Lander Nischt, told Fox that she could not confirm whether or not the gym seen in the video was located in a city firehouse. But some local news reports claimed that the supposed porn shoots took place in Akron’s city firehouse Number 11, on Akron-Peninsula Road in the city.
On the other hand, a report by local CBS network affiliate WOIO said that Tucker had “confirmed some of the content was reported to be made on city property.”
There are no allegations of criminal conduct against either suspended firefighter, however, and the current investigation into the alleged porn shoot does not involve police, according to the CBS affiliate report.
Photos by Akron Fire Department
