By Nicholas Brown
Staff Writer

The Epsom Board of Selectmen unanimously upheld its decision to permanently remove a 17-year member of the fire department following charges including the misuse of town equipment and misuse of the time clock.

The board placed former captain Floyd Graham on leave earlier this year, and reasons for the action became public in an August hearing, during which Graham admitted to treating a minor in a neighboring town while off-duty and using town equipment. The board fired Graham permanently during that hearing.

After an appeal from Graham, the board heard testimony on Nov. 15 hearing, one Graham requested be public.

The board upheld the validity of five charges related to the time clock after allegations including Graham had another member of the department punch his time card while he was drinking at a restaurant, and Graham didn't respond to a medical call after he'd left the station while on duty.

"I think there is a lot of ethical issues," said Selectman Jay Hickey. "I wouldn't feel comfortable with Floyd (Graham) working for the town with this history."

Hickey noted the seriousness of time clock issues, citing a former Epsom police chief who'd been fired for similar reasons.

"There's no question it's a stealing issue if it's a misuse of time," he said.

Graham and his attorney, Michael Callahan, exited the hearing before selectmen deliberated on the sentencing, and called no witnesses to testify.

John Krupski, a special attorney for the town, called a former full-time town firefighter and a current full-time town firefighter to testify to the validity of the charges.

Michael Dempsey, who was temporarily filling the selectman's seat of Joni Kitson, who recused herself from the investigation of Graham, said he was not persuaded by the defendant's case, as no witnesses were summoned on Graham's behalf.

After a request from Krupski to have witnesses sequestered during the hearing, two men went under Callahan's direction to the hallway, but their testimonies were never requested.